An award-winning pharmaceutical executive was charged Wednesday for driving more than 100 mph in a horrific wrong-way crash that killed a former Olympic swimmer on a New Jersey highway.
Brian Baldari, 47, drove his Cadillac CT5 Blackwing in the wrong direction down Route 70 in Lakewood for two miles before fatally crashing into 66-year-old Edwin Borja’s vehicle in March, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office announced.
Baldari collided head-on with Borja’s Mazda CX5, then struck an additional six vehicles before coming to a stop at 5:50 a.m.
The Lakewood Township Police Department responded to the fatal crash and found the Cadillac in flames with Baldari trapped inside.
First responders pulled Baldari from the car, but he was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center (JSUMC). He was later moved to Weill Cornell Medicine Burn Center in New York City, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors allege that Baldari reached 103 mph in his sports car.
Borja, a former Filipino Olympian who competed in the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics, was also airlifted to JSUMC.
Borja died from his injuries 11 days later.
A third driver was also injured in the crash and taken to Ocean University Medical Center, where they were treated and later released.
After a months-long investigation, Baldari was charged on Wednesday with aggravated manslaughter, vehicular homicide, and assault by auto.
He faces up to 50 years in prison if found guilty.
Baldari surrendered himself over to the Lakewood Township Police Department and was transported to the Ocean County Jail, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.
Billhimer said he will remain behind bars “pending a detention hearing.”
Baldari describes himself as an “award-winning” and “seasoned Biopharmaceutical Executive with a strong record of launching 14 blockbuster brands, indications, and line extensions,” according to his LinkedIn.
A Rutgers University graduate, he is currently employed in a hybrid position as Vice President, Franchise Portfolio Management-Cardiometabolics, Ophthalmology, Respiratory, at Azurity Pharmaceuticals in North Carolina.
As recently as two weeks ago, Baldari posted a job opening for Azurity Pharmaceuticals on his LinkedIn.
Borja immigrated to the US from the Philippines with his family in 1971.
A year later, at 14, he competed for the Filipino team at the Munich Olympics, finishing 41st in the 1,500-meter freestyle and 14th in the 4 × 200-meter freestyle relay.
He returned for the 1976 Montreal Olympics, placing 44th in the 400m freestyle, 28th in the 1,500m freestyle, 32nd in the 200m butterfly, and 30th in the 400m individual medley.
Borja graduated from La Salle University in Pennsylvania and worked as a controller at Dana Companies, which transports hazardous commodities, according to an online obituary.
He is remembered as a beloved member of Saint Andrew Catholic Church, where he sang in the choir, and as an avid bowler.
His wife, Marieta Espe Borja, died in 2019. He is survived by his two children and four grandchildren.
