By EDMUND M. SILVESTRE

The mangled bodies of four members of a Filipino-American family from Bergenfield, N.J., who were killed in a head-on collision with a wrong-way drunk driver in a California freeway early Sunday will not be returned to New Jersey, and instead will be cremated in Modesto, California, according to a relative.
Joseph Arnel Reyes, 43, a contractor; his wife Rosalima Reglos-Reyes, 42, an accountant with the New York Stock Exchange; Reyes’ mother Consolacion Reyes, 68; and daughter Samantha Reyes, 6, all died at the scene of the tragic accident.

Reyes’ son Joshua, 10, suffered injuries to the heart and lungs and was airlifted to a hospital where he remains in critical condition; while 14-year-old daughter Jorielind was injured less severely, according to Tom Killian, spokesman of the California Highway Patrol (CHP).

“The bodies are too deformed so the family decided to cremate the remains in Modesto and spread the ashes among relatives in California, New Jersey and the Philippines,” Ed Roque, brother-in-law of Mrs. Reyes, told the Filipino Reporter Wednesday evening.

“There will be a closed casket wake in Modesto, probably by Friday afternoon,” Roque added. “The bodies were released by the morgue just today (Wednesday).”

The fatal crash occurred on Interstate 5, which runs from Canada to Mexico. The vacationing Reyes family was driving south on the freeway on their way to Anaheim when the other driver crashed head-on into the family’s rented minivan, a 2005 Ford Freestar.

The other driver, an illegal immigrant from Mexico and who was believed to be drunk, also died at the scene. He was identified as Sergio Hernandez Cirilo, 22, of Stockton, California.

Killian said Cirilo’s 1989 Plymouth Voyager did not belong to him, though it was not stolen. However, he said the Arizona car was using stolen license plates and did not have any lights on.

Killian said empty beer bottles were found in the Plymouth indicating that Cirilo was intoxicated at the time of the accident, but toxicology reports to determine Cirilo’s blood-alcohol level won’t be out until next week.

“We’d be extremely surprised if it doesn’t come back ‘under the influence,’” Killian said.
Police said minutes before the tragedy, Cirilo also caused an accident that sent four members of an Oregon family to the hospital with slight injuries when their vehicle flipped and crashed into a guardrail as they swerved to avoid Cirilo’s Plymouth that was headed toward them. Cirilo reportedly fled the scene of that first accident.

That fateful night, the Reyes family left Modesto, and was headed toward Anaheim to stay overnight before heading back to the East Coast Monday, Roque told the Reporter.

“The family went to California to pick up Joseph’s mother (Consolacion), who was there on vacation,” Roque said. “We even asked them to buy us breads and empanadas that are popular to Filipinos when they reach Anaheim.”

Kristi Herr, deputy coroner of Stanislaus County, said the family began driving to Anaheim around 2 a.m. because that was when the children were sleeping, and Reyes wanted to make the trip comfortable for them.
It was around 3:15 a.m. on I-5 near Westley, about 65 miles southeast of San Francisco, when the Reyes family’s white minivan collided with Cirilo’s Plymouth Voyager, which was travelling north in the southbound lanes at 70 mph, police said.

Reyes reportedly tried to veer right at the last moment but was unable to avoid the crash. The left front corner of the Voyager struck the left front corner of the Freestar just south of the rest area, a CHP report says.

The impact of the collision caused Cirilo’s vehicle to careen toward the center divider, while Reyes’ vehicle spun toward the dirt shoulder and overturned.

The tragedy backed up traffic for eight hours until authorities removed the total wrecked vehicles.

Relatives and friends of the Reyes family have been holding vigils since hearing the news Sunday.

On Monday at the Bergenfield home of Roque, dozens of cars were parked around the house and block.

Inside the house, women sat together on the couch with blank expressions, while others were looking at photo albums. When the television news report came on, the family rushed to the set and shuddered at sights of the accident scene and the mangled minivan.

“The family is angry and sad,” Roque said. “We’re angry at those drunk drivers...they should put all drunk drivers in jail, lock them up.”

“This is just such a shock, such a loss,” said Teresita Reglos-Roque, eldest sister of Mrs. Reyes. “She is a great loss to us. My family in the Philippines will suffer.”

On Monday, Teresita said her mother Guadalupe was lying down in a family room, completely inconsolable.

“This is so hard for her,” Teresita said. “She keeps on asking, ‘Where’s my daughter?’

Teresita and six other members of the family flew to California and arrived there Tuesday afternoon, according to Roque.

“That trip will be hard for them physically and emotionally because they will visit the morgue and hospitals, and will arrange for the funeral,” Roque said.

The Reyes family has lived in Bergenfield for several years and were in the process of renovating their South Prospect Avenue home, Roque said.

They were expanding the house to make room for Consolacion, the family matriarch; and Jorielind, Reyes’ daughter from a previous relationship, who had come from the Philippines last year to join her father.

Reyes was the one who designed the house, but the renovations stopped as of Monday, relatives said.

To family and friends, they were a couple known for warmth and generosity — financially supporting other family members in the Philippines.

“Rosalima was here for a short time but she had success because she was a good, hard worker and a kind person not just to her family but to everyone,” said Roque.

Meanwhile, Joshua remains in critical condition and sedated at the Intensive Care Unit of University of California Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.

Joshua’s half-sister, Jorielind, is in stable condition at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto.

The Roques said they will make arrangements to adopt Joshua.

Mr. and Mrs. Reyes, both American citizens, lived in California before moving to New Jersey 10 years ago.

Mr. Reyes was a native of San Pablo City, Laguna. Mrs. Reyes was from Tiaong, Quezon. Their children Joshua and Samantha were born in New Jersey.