Police: Woman killed, 2 girls injured when car rams into Lakewood food pantry

A makeshift memorial was erected Sunday morning for the woman who died in the accident in the parking lot of St. Vincent De Paul's Food Pantry.

News 12 Staff

Oct 16, 2022, 9:47 PM

Updated 799 days ago

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Authorities said a woman was killed and two children were injured when a car plowed into them while they were at a food pantry Saturday morning in Lakewood.
A makeshift memorial was erected Sunday morning for the woman who died in the accident in the parking lot of St. Vincent De Paul's Food Pantry.
It was around 10:30 a.m. when 46-year-old Dilcia Maribell Guevara-Tabora was standing on the curb outside the food pantry when a 2005 Dodge Caravan crashed into the side of the building.
"There was a big chaos going on," said parishioner Cori Scotti. "At that point, we'd seen a gentleman crash into the building and hit our transformer."
Authorities said Abelino Landaverde-Ayala plowed into Guevara-Tabora, a twelve-year-old and 13-year-old girl.
They said Landaverde-Ayala, who is also a member of the parish, was attempting to back up when he mistakenly put his car in forward gear, hitting the three victims.
Friends and family were seen consoling each other at the site of the accident on Sunday afternoon.
"I spoke with two of the cousins. They came and made a makeshift memorial, and we did speak with them. They're devasted," Scotti said.
Authorities said the two girls who were injured are not related to the deceased. They were at the scene with a family member and both were taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center to be treated.
"I personally had administered some help for the 13-year-old. She had a laceration to her ear and later found out that the jaw was broken," Scotti said.
As relatives gathered at the scene on Sunday night, one family member told News 12 New Jersey off camera that Guevara-Tabora had just emigrated from her native Honduras seven months ago. She leaves behind a husband and children.
Church members said that as far as they know, Landaverde-Ayala was not impaired.
According to Lakewood Police, he received a summons for careless driving and could possibly face more charges.