Affidavit details moments leading up to deadly high-speed crash in Toms River

According to police, then-17-year-old Carlos D. Martinez was behind the wheel of the white BMW that careened into the Toyota Camry the couple was driving the night of March 7.

Police say Martinez was driving without a license, with a blood alcohol level of .08 and clocking in at 118 mph, when he ran a red light at the intersection of routes 166 and 37 in Toms River.

An affidavit obtained by News 12 documents the sequence of events leading to the crash, from the time the white BMW was first spotted by police going over the Thomas Matthis Bridge doing 92 mph in a 40 mph zone.

The document goes on to say that several times during the pursuit, the driver switched the car lights on and off while speeding up and almost caused several crashes. Nearby police departments were also on the lookout for the white BMW.

According to the affidavit, surveillance video suggests Martinez was not behind the wheel when the car was first spotted by police. There’s a time span of 4 minutes and 23 seconds, when the Toms River Police Department stops pursuing the BMW and the car goes into Mantoloking before turning around and heading south on 35 through Lavalette and then back on to westbound Route 37.

This suggests that the passengers in the BMW had time to switch drivers and remove the car’s license plate just before the deadly crash. During the investigation, police found that the back license plate was not on the car at the time of the crash. It was later found in a backseat compartment.

Cellphones from both vehicles were searched during the investigation. A search of the cellphones from the passengers in the BMW showed group chat conversations about going to Seaside Heights, buying alcohol, and it also showed video from one of the passengers of the BMW during the pursuit with police.

They can be heard saying, “floor it.”

Martinez, who is now 18, is facing 18 charges, including aggravated manslaughter. He has a detention hearing on July 10.