A Christmas dream turned into a roadside nightmare in seconds. A new puppy. Two smiling kids.
Then a Hummer flying across lanes, and metal exploding on Route 53. A 10-year-old boy, limp and silent. A mother screaming his name.
A stranger running toward smoke, not away. Open alcohol. A .238 BAC.
A judge’s decision that left the family stun… Continues…
They had just picked up the puppy, a tiny Christmas promise riding home in the backseat,
when everything was destroyed in a single reckless move.
Prosecutors say 27-year-old Jaquelin Onofre Reyes tried to pass traffic in her Hummer, clipped one car,
then crossed into oncoming lanes and slammed head-on into the family’s SUV, nearly three times over the legal alcohol limit.
Ten-year-old Brady was pulled from the wreck in and out of consciousness,
later rushed to a second hospital for more surgery, as relatives described the terror of his
mother calling his name and hearing nothing back. A former firefighter, Andrew
Anderson, ran toward the crumpled vehicles when he saw the smoke, helping stabilize
Brady while another Good Samaritan scooped up the dazed puppy. Now, as the dog recovers at
a vet and the children heal, the family waits for justice, after Reyes walked out of court on electronic monitoring, due back before a judge on January 20.
