Bochur Who Advocated for Drunk Driving Awareness Sentenced to 6 Years Following Fatal 2022 Collision

Mordechai Berkowitz, 23, was sentenced to a six-year term in New Jersey State Prison Wednesday, three years after a fatal car crash claimed the life of another driver while he was under the influence of alcohol. Mordy, as he is known, took full accountability for the crash and launched a campaign to raise awareness of drunk driving.

Under the terms of the sentence, Mordy is required to serve a minimum of 85% of his time before becoming eligible for parole.

The charges stem from a collision on the afternoon of Friday, July 22, 2022. According to court records, Mordy was driving home following a to’ameha where he had consumed alcohol.

While traveling on South Lake Drive, Berkowitz’s vehicle crossed the double-yellow line, resulting in a head-on impact with an oncoming car. The crash claimed the life of the other driver, 44-year-old Juana Lopez-Hernandez.

Berkowitz pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide, admitting in court that he should not have been operating a vehicle at the time.

In the years between the tragedy and his sentencing, Berkowitz publicly expressed deep remorse and attempted to turn his experience into a warning for others. He established a safety initiative titled the “Don’t Drink + Drive” campaign. The project, which challenges the misconception that “buzzed” driving is safe, urges individuals to completely separate alcohol consumption from driving.

Mordy was assisted by the Tzedek Association, a group which advocates on behalf of imprisoned people among other efforts.

To date, the initiative has garnered approximately 45,000 pledges from people promising never to drink and drive. Despite these efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of impaired reaction times and decision-making, the court moved forward this week with the sentencing. Mordy faced a maximum of 10 years in jail, which the prosecutor pushed for.

Tzedek’s Director Rabbi Moshe Margaretten bemoaned the verdict in a statement to Belaaz: “It is with great pain that we share the difficult news that Mordy Berkowitz was sentenced today to six years in prison — despite the judge noting several times how impressed he was with the accountability campaign supported by Tzedek.”

“We believe this sentence is extraordinarily harsh and deeply unfair, and with Hashem’s help, and your continued tefillos, we will succeed!”

Rabbi Margaretten noted that the ruling was nade despite the facf that “Mordy has already spent the last three years on home confinement. The victims and their families themselves pleaded for mercy. In the neighboring county he would have likely faced zero prison time.”

“Our campaign generated nearly 50,000 pledges from people committing never to drink and drive again — a true kiddush Hashem and a testament to real accountability. Yet the prosecutors still sought ten years.”