Man Charged with DUI After Crash Kills Unborn Baby

A judge set bail at $750,000 for a man who allegedly drove drunk and high on cocaine and smashed into another vehicle driven by a woman who was 9 months pregnant and killing the unborn child, police said.

Benjamin Pilar, 21, was charged with reckless homicide of an unborn child, aggravated DUI resulting in bodily harm and three counts of misdemeanor DUI, according to police. He was also ticketed for driving without a license, failure to provide proof of insurance, failure to maintain lanes and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, police said.

Pilar was reportedly driving a Pontiac Grand Am when he collided with a Cadillac Tuesday around 3 p.m. in the 3500 block of South California Avenue in the Brighton Park neighborhood, police said.

The 21-year-old driver of the Cadillac, who was 9 months pregnant, was treated at Mount Sinai Hospital, but the baby did not survive, officials said.

Initial tests reportedly showed Pilar’s blood alcohol level was 0.254 percent and he also had traces of cocaine in his system, police said.

Pilar is scheduled to appear in court again on April 30.
 

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