Egg Harbor City, NJ, man pleads guilty in 107 MPH DWI crash that killed child

An Egg Harbor City man is potentially facing over a decade in prison in connection to a high-speed crash that claimed the life of a child.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office says on February 27th, 25-year-old Edward Johnston pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter for causing the death of 8-year-old Javier Velez in Absecon on July 23rd, 2023.

According to authorities, an investigation revealed that Johnston was intoxicated and driving at about 107 MPH westbound on Route 30 when his vehicle left the road and collided with the rear of a parked vehicle, where Velez was sleeping while his father and brother were fishing.

Johnston will be sentenced on May 13th and a plea agreement calls for him to serve 15 years in state prison. He would be required to serve almost 13 years before becoming eligible for parole.

This case was investigated by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office's Crash Investigations Unit and the Atlantic City and Absecon Police Departments.