Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez has announced that a Union City man who last month pleaded guilty in the head-on collision on Paterson Plank Road in Jersey City that caused the death of Adriana Riano, a 32-year-old woman from North Bergen, has been sentenced to nine years in prison.
According to officials, Jonathan Ortiz-Guananga, 27, was sentenced to eight years in New Jersey state prison on one charge of second-degree Death By Auto to run consecutive to a flat 12 months in New Jersey state prison for a fourth-degree Assault by Auto charge.
On Sunday, May 5, 2019, at approximately 7:15 a.m., Jersey City Police Officers were dispatched to Paterson Plank Road in Jersey City, just south of the Congress Street intersection, on a report of a motor vehicle collision.
Upon arrival, the responding officers discovered two vehicles were involved in a collision. The first vehicle was a 2008 Ford Edge operated by Riano containing a 30-year-old male passenger. The second vehicle was a 2015 Dodge Charger operated by Ortiz-Guananga of Union City.
According to police, all three individuals were transported by Emergency Medical Services to Jersey City Medical Center. Riano was pronounced dead at approximately 3:15 p.m. Her passenger was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Ortiz-Guananga was treated for injuries related to severe leg trauma.
Police report that on June 27, 2019, Ortiz-Guananga was arrested without incident by members of the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit and charged with Death by Auto and Assault by Auto fourth-degree crime.
He was also charged with violations of Title 39. The violations are Speeding, Driving While Intoxicated, Failure to Maintain a Marked Traffic Lane and Reckless Driving.
Ortiz-Guananga was subsequently indicted with the upgraded charge of Aggravated Manslaughter that was dismissed as a result of his plea at sentencing.