What to Know
- Prosecutors say a NJ dad who drove drunk and crashed his car, killing his daughter and hurting another, was sentenced to a decade in prison
- Marcelo Rizzo had been weaving through traffic, struck another vehicle and veered off the road into the woods
- His 9-year-old daughter, Madelynn,was ejected from the vehicle and died; a younger daughter suffered serious injuries
Prosecutors say a New Jersey man who drove drunk and crashed his car, killing his daughter and injuring another, has been sentenced to a decade in prison.
The Burlington County Prosecutors' Office announced the sentence Friday against 38-year-old Marcelo Rizzo, of Elizabeth.
Police found Rizzo's Ford Focus in the grass off Interstate 295 in Mount Laurel last November. They say he had been weaving through traffic, struck another vehicle and veered off the road into the woods while hitting several trees.
His 9-year-old daughter, Madelynn Rizzo, was ejected from the vehicle and died. A younger daughter suffered serious injured in the wreck that happened around 6 p.m. on the busy Sunday Thanksgiving travel day.
Investigators say Rizzo had multiple drinks prior to the crash. His blood alcohol content was twice the legal limit.
Rizzo pleaded guilty in August to vehicular homicide, endangering the welfare of a child and driving while intoxicated.
