Drunk driver who killed the boy in South Jersey learns fate

Absecon, NJ and man, who drove 107 miles per hour in a drunk accident, in which an 8-year-old boy was slept in a parked car, was convicted on Tuesday, the Atlantic County public prosecutor said.

The 26 -year -old Edward Johnston was sentenced to 15 years in the US state of New Jersey for severe manslaughter, the authorities said. Johnston, a resident of EGG Harbor City, is subject to the law of No Early Release. It must be at least 85 percent of the sentence before it is entitled to probation.

Johnston had drunk in several bars in Atlantic City before trying to drive home in the early morning of July 23, 2023. Due to his “considerable poisoning”, Johnston did not miss a curve about White Horse Pike in Absecon, the authorities said.

He turned off the street and fell into a parked car, the authorities said. At the time of the crash, Johnston drove 107 miles per hour, said officials.

In this parked car, Javier “Javi” Velez, an 8-year-old from Philadelphia, was sleeping while his father and brother fished nearby. He was killed in the crash.

At Johnston's conviction, Javi's parents Kaylah Smith and Orlando Velez talked about their grief and the influence that the crash had on their family. Two of Javis aunt also spoke on behalf of the family.