Unlicensed driver charged in Vineland fatal crash that killed woman

A Vineland crash that left 87-year-old Ramona Sansalone dead turned into a wider criminal case after investigators concluded the driver was unlicensed and that the person first identified at the scene was not behind the wheel.

The three-vehicle wreck happened Nov. 24, 2025, at North Lincoln and Maple avenues, one of the city’s familiar intersections. Sansalone, of Minotola, was critically injured in the collision and later died, turning a roadside response into a months-long investigation into who was actually driving and who tried to shape the early account.

Detectives later determined that Jesus Ayala-Alvarez was the actual driver. Dayana Rivera, who was initially identified at the scene as the driver, was later charged herself after investigators said she gave false information to police in an effort to hinder the case.

The charges pushed the crash beyond a traffic investigation and into a larger question of accountability, especially because the driver behind the wheel had been unlicensed. In a fatal crash, that detail can carry consequences far beyond the administrative penalties associated with driving without a license, especially when investigators conclude that false statements were made as part of the response.

For Vineland residents, the case also puts a hard spotlight on North Lincoln and Maple avenues, a location many know as part of the city’s everyday road network. What began as an emergency call at the intersection became a longer effort involving investigators, crash reconstruction and interviews before authorities said they had sorted out who was responsible.

Sansalone’s death gave the case its most serious weight. The crash did not end when the sirens stopped, and the later charges show how a deadly collision can continue to unfold long after the scene clears, as police work to establish the chain of responsibility and whether key intervention points were missed before a driver ever got on the road.