Driver who struck North Jersey couple on Valentine's Day, killing 1, sentenced to 16 years

• Dhkir Robinson was sentenced to 16 years in prison for driving drunk and striking two pedestrians in a February 2024 crash.
• Wiston Perlaza, 22, died at the scene, and Jocelyn Pietri, 21, sustained multiple fractures and spent several months in physical therapy.

A Perth Amboy man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for killing one pedestrian and seriously injuring another while driving drunk in Essex County last year, authorities said.

Dhkir Robinson, 44, received consecutive eight-year sentences for vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatal crash, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said in a press release May 6. He also will serve a concurrent 15-month sentence for assault by auto.

Prosecutors said Robinson was intoxicated while driving at 55 mph on Milton Avenue in Nutley on Feb. 14, 2024. He crashed into Wiston Perlaza, 22, and Jocelyn Pietri, 21, who were reportedly on a Valentine's Day date at the time.

Perlaza died at the scene as a result of the crash, and the impact sent Pietri over the highway overpass and onto the shoulder of the Garden State Parkway, the press release said. She sustained multiple fractures and spent several months in physical therapy relearning how to walk.

Robinson exited his vehicle and approached Perlaza on the ground before getting back in the car and leaving the scene, witnesses said. The witnesses provided police with a description of the driver and car as well as the vehicle's license plate number, leading to Robinson's arrest in Newark shortly after the crash.

Robinson, who had six prior felony convictions, entered a guilty plea Feb. 21 in front of Judge Karina Fuentes. He is required to serve 85% of the vehicular manslaughter sentence before he is eligible for parole.

Victoria M. Saraiva, the assistant prosecutor who tried the case, praised the Nutley Police Department, New Jersey State Police and the Essex County Sheriff's Office for their efforts leading to Robinson's arrest.

"I hope that this sentence brings a sense of closure to the families," she said. "Hopefully this sends a strong message to anyone responsible for similar violent crashes: You will be prosecuted, and justice will be served."