Massachusetts Man Charged with Staging Crash Found in New Jersey

A Lawrence, Massachusetts man wanted for allegedly helping stage a car crash that resulted in the death of a great-grandmother and led to a statewide crackdown of auto insurance fraud has been arrested in New Jersey.

Lawrence Police Chief John Romero said Tuesday that Hairo Gomez was arrested in Perth Amboy, N.J., on charges that he was trying to sell drugs in a school zone.

Gomez had been missing since February 2007, when he failed to show up to court. He was charged with manslaughter for allegedly staging the two-car crash in 2003 to try to defraud an insurance company.

Sixty-five-year-old Altagracia Arias, a back seat passenger in one of the vehicles, died.

One man, Jacinto Maldonado Jr., was sentenced to two years in jail for his role in the crash.

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Information from: The Eagle-Tribune