A pharmaceutical executive has been charged in the car crash that killed Filipino Olympian Edwin Borja in Lakewood, New Jersey.
According to a statement by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Brian Baldari, 47, allegedly drove his Cadillac CT5 Blackwing at 103 mph (165 kph) in the wrong direction on a New Jersey highway for over three kilometers when he crashed into Borja’s Mada CX5 and six other vehicles in March 2025.
Lakewood police responded to the crash, which left Baldari trapped inside his car, which was in flames. He was pulled out of the car and taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center (JSUMC), and later to the Weill Cornell Medicine Burn Center in New York City.
Meanwhile, Borja, a 66-year-old Manchester resident, was also taken to JSUMC but died of injuries 11 days later.
A third driver was treated for injuries at Ocean University Medical Center and later released.
Baldari faces charges of aggravated manslaughter, vehicular homicide, and assault by auto. He surrendered himself to Lakewood Township Police Headquarters on Aug. 13 and was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he is held pending a detention hearing.
According to his LinkedIn page, Baldari is the VP for Franchise Portfolio Management – Cardiometabolics, Ophthalmology, and Respiratory for Azurity Pharmaceuticals.
Borja, a swimmer, competed in the Munich Olympics in 1972 when he was just 14 years old and the Montreal Games in 1976. He and his brother, Edgar, boycotted the Moscow Olympics in 1980.
He came to the US in 1971 and moved to Manchester in 2021.
Borja is survived by his siblings, children, and grandchildren.
