Grieving father urges vigilance of drunken drivers Driver in crash that killed woman, 21, gets DWI, manslaughter BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer Samar Seliem A driver who police say was heavily intoxicated struck and killed a 21-year-old Old Bridge woman Friday has pleaded not guilty to aggravated manslaughter. "A good female in a good university lost her life because of drunkards," said Bakr Seliem, whose daughter Samar was killed as she backed a car out of her parents' driveway. "Just pray for her." Cory J. Bieniek, 19, of the Cliffwood Beach section of Aberdeen, is accused of driving his Jeep Grand Cherokee at speeds of up to 100 mph on Marlboro Road around 10:23 p.m. Friday when his vehicle struck the passenger side of Samar's car, according to information provided by Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Nicholas Sewitch. Samar, who was pulling her 1996 Mitsubishi Mirage out of her family's driveway on Marlboro Road, was pushed for 240 feet before the two vehicles came to a stop. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Bakr Seliem said his daughter, an honors student of interior design at Kean University, Union, had kissed and hugged him before she went outside to move her car so another family member could exit the driveway. Soon after, members of the Seliem family along with surrounding neighbors went outside to investigate what sounded to them like an explosion, he said. Samar Seliem with her brother, Islam. "We thought it was a terroristic action, a bomb," Bakr Seliem said. "But it was my daughter." Bieniek received only a minor abrasion on his left ear in the accident. A 17-year-old girl who was in the front seat of Bieniek's Jeep suffered a broken ankle in the crash, while the rear-seat passenger, Joshua Shaefer, 19, of Old Bridge, had scratches and bruises, according to The Star-Ledger report that Sewitch confirmed was accurate. In addition to the aggravated manslaughter charge, police in Old Bridge charged Bieniek with death by auto, driving while intoxicated and exhibiting false documentation as proof of identification. "I want the people in Old Bridge and all of New Jersey to know that the guy who killed my daughter is not the only killer in the streets," Seliem said. He said it is important for people to call the police if they are aware of a driver who is intoxicated or who is driving without the proper credentials. In the case of drunken drivers, he said, every possible action should be taken to stop them even before police arrive, because it may prove too late to save someone's life. "We can't lose innocent people who build this country," Seliem said. "My daughter was a good person. We have to take care of our good people. This is my message to the people of Old Bridge." Bieniek is being held on $350,000 bail. On Tuesday in state Superior Court, New Brunswick, Bieniek's attorney, Joseph Benedict of New Brunswick, requested that the bail be lowered so that Bieniek could be released to undergo alcohol and grief counseling, according to The Star-Ledger. The request was denied. Samar's mother, Mona, was taken to the hospital after repeatedly passing out, according to Essam Abbas, a family friend. Every time she thought of the incident, he said, she would lose consciousness. She is home, but by orders from her doctor, cannot see anyone for now while she deals with her shock and grief. Benedict reportedly told Judge Barbara Clark Stolte that Bieniek is "having deep feelings of remorse and regret over his conduct." "His lawyer is stating that he is quiet and decent ... and the prosecutor was saying he was convicted in 2005 for selling drugs," Abbas said. The Prosecutor's Office opposed reducing the bail, saying the suspect might flee. Bieniek faces 10-30 years in prison if convicted. Sewitch said Bieniek "was grossly intoxicated" and "totally out of control" after drinking beer and vodka prior to the collision. Sewitch said one of the passengers in Bieniek's vehicle urged the suspect to slow down prior to the collision and later told police he was driving at 100 mph. Bieniek reportedly told authorities he was going 85 mph. Samar was to graduate college in 2008. She loved to draw, and had a talent for it, her father said. Along with her family, Samar moved to the United States from Egypt four years ago. "Samar loved everyone in America," Seliem said. "She loved all the people." Aside from her father and mother, surviving family members include her sister, Salma, a 17-year-old junior at Old Bridge High School, and brother, Islam, a 23-year-old senior at Rutgers School of Engineering. "She was [a] beloved person to her family," Abbas said. "She was very close to [her father]. She was a daughter, a friend and everything." The day before Samar was killed, the family celebrated Islam's birthday. Samar also visited her aunt on the evening before her death. Abbas said that, according to Seliem, she had experienced a strange feeling of what was to come. She hugged and kissed her aunt, saying she might not see her again, he said. Seliem said he has contacted Mayor Jim Phillips with his message for the residents. Phillips sent him a letter expressing his condolences, and offering to help in any way he is able, according to Abbas. "This is a tragedy that need not have happened," Phillips said. "From everything I'm told, she was an excellent student, she was a good person. This is a tragic loss.