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Ashley Beams, 31 of Toms River
In the incident that killed James Cruz of Old Bridge on Feb. 8, Ashley Beams, 31, was charged with aggravated manslaughter and DWI.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutors Office, Ashley Beams went to TGI Fridays at 9:45 p.m. on February 8 to purchase a late-night supper.
According to a probable cause affidavit acquired from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, Beams drank a Long Island iced tea while waiting for her food at the restaurant at the Ocean County Mall, about 3 miles from her Toms River home. According to the affidavit, she ordered a Tito's vodka on the rocks, then two more Tito's before getting her dinner and leaving.
James Cruz of Old Bridge was slain by Beams as he retrieved a parcel out of the trunk at 10:26 p.m., 41 minutes after she went home.
READ MORE: Pedestrian Struck and Killed on Bay Avenue in Toms River on February 8th
Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said Beams, 31, was charged with aggravated manslaughter, vehicular homicide, strict liability vehicular homicide, driving while intoxicated, and other motor vehicle charges on Feb. 16.
According to Billhimer, the charges were filed after blood testing revealed Beams had a blood alcohol percentage of 0.321 percent. In New Jersey, 0.08 percent blood alcohol level is considered legally inebriated.
According to jail records, Beams was detained on February 16 and was being held at the Ocean County Jail.
According to the affidavit, Beams drank roughly 8 ounces of liquor at TGI Fridays. A Long Island iced tea is a half-ounce each of vodka, gin, rum, and triple sec, as well as sour mix and cola. According to
Binwise, a website for the bar industry, the average amount of liquor served over ice is roughly 2 ounces.
The affidavit detailed the circumstances leading up to the collision, including Beams' alcohol consumption, which authorities were able to verify based on a receipt discovered the day after the crash during a search of Beams' Honda Accord.
Cruz was stopped on Bay Avenue to deliver a delivery with his Kia Sorrento's hazard lights flashing, according to the affidavit. Cruz was speaking with the person receiving the delivery as he stood by his trunk less than 15 seconds before he was hit.
A second witness saw Beams rush away on Bay Avenue after the traffic light at Oak Avenue turned green. A witness informed authorities that Beams was all over the road and drifted into the shoulder just before the incident.
According to the affidavit, there were no skid marks at the site, and Beams proceeded ahead 96 feet after colliding with Cruz. His hat was discovered on the ground near where he was struck, according to the affidavit.
Cruz died at 10:42 p.m., just over an hour after Beams had left her home.
Beams, who was not wearing her seatbelt at the time of the incident and was injured, was transferred to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. An EMS crew chief detected alcohol on Beams en route, and she told him she had taken a half pint of vodka before to the incident, according to the affidavit.
