[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/njcriminallawdefense.com\/blog\/gloucester-county-man-multiple-dwi-charges-fatal-car-accident\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/njcriminallawdefense.com\/blog\/gloucester-county-man-multiple-dwi-charges-fatal-car-accident\/","headline":"Gloucester County Man Had Multiple DWI Charges before Fatal Car Accident","name":"Gloucester County Man Had Multiple DWI Charges before Fatal Car Accident","description":"Authorities say the Monroeville man who was responsible for a fatal car accident was driving under the influence of drugs\u00a0at the time of the crash. He is also said to have multiple\u00a0DWI\u00a0convictions on his record. According to officials from the Gloucester County Prosecutor\u2019s Office, 41-year-old Monroeville resident\u00a0Emilio Ortega III was driving under the influence of […]","datePublished":"2017-09-26","dateModified":"2026-01-08","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/njcriminallawdefense.com\/blog\/author\/njcriminallawdefense\/#Person","name":"William Fay, Esq.","url":"https:\/\/njcriminallawdefense.com\/blog\/author\/njcriminallawdefense\/","identifier":8,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e9869b68803369cd82f0d8d684c730be056db7c94e3ce06af05f80bee316c35?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e9869b68803369cd82f0d8d684c730be056db7c94e3ce06af05f80bee316c35?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Law Offices of William C. Fay IV","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/njcriminallawdefense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Logo-footer-vector.svg","url":"https:\/\/njcriminallawdefense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Logo-footer-vector.svg","width":0,"height":0}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/njcriminallawdefense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/gloucester-dwi-defendant.jpg","url":"https:\/\/njcriminallawdefense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/gloucester-dwi-defendant.jpg","height":280,"width":300},"url":"https:\/\/njcriminallawdefense.com\/blog\/gloucester-county-man-multiple-dwi-charges-fatal-car-accident\/","about":["DWI\/DUI"],"wordCount":574,"articleBody":"Authorities say the Monroeville man who was responsible for a fatal car accident was driving under the influence of drugs\u00a0at the time of the crash. He is also said to have multiple\u00a0DWI\u00a0convictions on his record.According to officials from the Gloucester County Prosecutor\u2019s Office, 41-year-old Monroeville resident\u00a0Emilio Ortega III was driving under the influence of narcotics when he struck a husband and wife who were riding bicycles on\u00a0Delsea Drive in Franklin Township on February 15th. The 57-year-old female victim died as a result of the collision.Following the fatal crash, Ortega was reportedly found in\u00a0possession of Xanax. He also tested positive for what was described as a \u201cvery high level\u201d of narcotics. According to the Assistant Prosecutor, Ortega has a record that includes multiple convictions for DWI, as well as a\u00a0drug charge.\u00a0Specifically, Ortega has two\u00a0DWI offenses\u00a0and two\u00a0DWI suspensions\u00a0on his record in connection with four separate incidents in 2006, 2007 and 2008.Now, Ortega is facing charges for\u00a0first-degree aggravated manslaughter, second-degree vehicular homicide, third-degree assault by auto, and third-degree\u00a0possession of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS). He pleaded not guilty to all of the charges recently, and the plea offer on the table is 16 years in NJ State Prison. For the aggravated manslaughter charge alone, Ortega could be sentenced to a prison term between 10 and 30 years, 85% of which must be served before he becomes eligible for parole (N.J.S.A. 2C:11-4).Obviously in this case, the defendant is facing a variety of extremely serious\u00a0criminal charges. But this situation also raises an important issue about\u00a0DWI in New Jersey. Although this incident technically represents Ortega\u2019s\u00a0third DWI offense, it may be charged as a first or second offense depending on the specific dates of the first two offenses. Under NJ DWI law, a person is eligible for a 10-year step down if their last DWI conviction occurred over 10 years prior to the current one. In other words, if your\u00a0first DWI\u00a0occurred in 2006 and your second occurred in 2017, you should be charged with another first offense DWI and thus, subject to less severe penalties than a\u00a0second DWI offense.The number of previous DWI convictions in any driving under the influence case is extremely significant because the penalties become more severe based on the number of prior DUI\u2019s (if any). For instance, your third DWI conviction will result in a 10-year driver\u2019s license suspension. On the other hand, a second DWI offense is punishable by a 2-year suspension and a first offense has a maximum license suspension of 1 year. If there is a possible 10-year step down issue in your DWI case, an experienced New Jersey DWI defense lawyer can argue to have the charge downgraded from a third to second or second to first.Experienced South Jersey DWI Defense LawyersIf you have been arrested for drunk driving or driving under the influence of drugs, our criminal defense law firm is here to assist you. Our highly experienced DUI defense attorneys fight for clients charged with DWI in courts in Monroeville, Gloucester County, and throughout South Jersey. We are fully prepared to effectively combat your charges and if possible, get your case dismissed. For a free consultation with a Gloucester County DWI defense lawyer, contact our offices today.For additional information related to this case, access the following article:\u00a0Motorist charged in death of bicyclist had prior DWIs."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/njcriminallawdefense.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Gloucester County Man Had Multiple DWI Charges before Fatal Car Accident","item":"https:\/\/njcriminallawdefense.com\/blog\/gloucester-county-man-multiple-dwi-charges-fatal-car-accident\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]