Hamilton Man Indicted in Fatal I-95 Crash That Killed Princeton Resident Jonathan Rivas

Princeton resident Jonathan Rivas died as a result of the crash.
Princeton resident Jonathan Rivas died as a result of the crash.

A Mercer County grand jury has returned a four-count indictment charging a Hamilton man with recklessly causing the death of three passengers in a December 2013 accident in Lawrence Township, Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph L. Bocchini Jr. announced today.

Luis Delcid-Cardona, 19, was indicted on three counts of second-degree death by auto and one count of second-degree leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. Second-degree crimes carry a penalty of five to ten years in prison.

The indictment alleges that Delcid-Cardona was under the influence of alcohol when he caused the death of the three passengers in his vehicle on December 12, 2013. He lost control of his 2001 Volkswagon GTS shortly after 1 a.m. while traveling southbound on I-95 in Lawrence Township. His vehicle went over a curb that divides the on-ramp lanes from Route 1 and crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer parked on the shoulder of the ramp.

The two rear passengers, 18-year-old Samantha Belliveau and 20-year-old Nicole Rodrigues, both of Hamilton, were ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. The front seat passenger, 19-year-old Jonathan Rivas of Princeton, was transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center, where he died later from his injuries. Delcid-Cardona fled the scene following the crash, and was located and arrested a short time later at a home in Lawrence.

Assistant Prosecutor Skylar Weissman presented the case to the grand jury. The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Serious Collision Response Team and the New Jersey State Police Fatal Accident Investigation Unit. Troopers from Hamilton Station, Troop C detectives and the Crime Scene Investigations Unit also assisted with the investigation.

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Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.