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Driver Who Caused Fatal Crash in Ocean City Sentenced to Prison

The Ocean City Police Department led the crash investigation.

A driver who was speeding and ran a red light during a 2021 fatal crash in Ocean City has been sentenced to three years in state prison for vehicular homicide, the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office announced Thursday.

Ruddy Narvaez, 36, of Galloway Township, crashed his Jeep Wrangler into the passenger side of a car turning left onto Bay Avenue from Ninth Street, Ocean City police said when the accident occurred on June 22, 2021.

The passenger, John D. Andrews, 66, of Ocean City, died of his injuries at Shore Medical Center in Somers Point, according to a news release by Ocean City police in 2021.

A 48-year-old Somers Point man who was driving the car in which Andrews was a passenger sustained injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

Narvaez was sentenced on Nov. 14 in state Superior Court in Cape May County in the vehicular homicide case.

“This case underscores the serious consequences of reckless driving and our commitment to holding offenders accountable. We hope this sentence serves as a reminder of the importance of responsible behavior on our roadways,” Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland said in a statement.

The Ocean City Police Department led the initial investigation, with crash analysis completed by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office’s Fatal Crash Unit.