Two drivers from South Brunswick who took part in an illegal street race on Route 1 in Edison that ended with a crash that killed a passenger in January 2022 have been sentenced.
Daniel Girgis, 18, of the Dayton section of South Brunswick, has been sentenced to three years in state prison while Tyler Dickerson, 19, of the Monmouth Junction section, will spend 364 days in the Middlesex County jail, the county prosecutor’s office said Tuesday.
A passenger in Girgis’ car — Diana Somarriba, 18, of South Brunswick — was killed when Girgis struck a vacant building in the area of Route 1 south and Fox Road during the pre-arranged race in which he was driving more than 100 mph, officials said.
Girgis and another passenger in his vehicle suffered minor injuries in the crash. He pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in March after the original juvenile charges were waved up to Superior Court.
Dickerson, who pleaded guilty to assault by auto, will also serve four years probation after being released from jail. Dickerson was originally charged with vehicular homicide and aggravated assault.
Somarriba was a senior at South Brunswick High School, officials said following the Jan. 20, 2022, crash. She planned to join the military after graduation, according to district Superintendent Scott Feder.
“Diana Somaribba’s passing is a huge loss to South Brunswick High School and our community,” Feder wrote in an email to NJ Advance Media last year. “She was a very charismatic young lady who was very loyal to her friends who were so important to her. Diana was kind, sweet, and likable and always had a smile on her face. Her dream of graduating from high school and joining the military was cut short due to this tragic accident. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Somaribba family and all of her friends.”
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