Another person charged, others sought in connection with deadly Wildwood car rally

A third person has been arrested and others were being sought in connection with the pop-up H2oi car rally in Wildwood last month that left two people dead another person seriously injured, authorities said.

Authorities said Zion Diaz, 18, of Hammonton, was an attendee of the Sept. 24 rally who instructed others to block intersections, do burnouts and block police vehicles from responding to emergency calls, according to a statement from the Cape May County Prosecutors Office.

Diaz was arrested Tuesday morning at his home and was charged with the fourth degree crime of riot, the office said. He was processed and released pending a future appearance in Cape May County Superior Court.

Investigators were also searching for a man allegedly involved in an aggravated assault on a police officer and a Honda Accord involved in a crash with a golf cart that left one person seriously injured.

The Honda Accord has a distinct aftermarket tail light package and should have significant damage to the front passenger side quarter panel, the office said.

The wanted man and the car in question can be seen in the pictures above. Anyone who recognized either of them was urged to contact the Cape May County Prosecutors Office at 609-465-1135, or the Wildwood Police Department at 609-522-0222.

Drivers brought at least 500 vehicles to the car rally, which started in Maryland years ago as a celebration of water-cooled Volkswagens and Audis, but turned into an unruly takeover of city streets in recent years.

Gerald J. White, 37, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, was at the wheel of a 2003 Infiniti and allegedly fleeing another crash in Wildwood when prosecutors say he struck a Honda Civic and two pedestrians at Burk and Atlantic avenues shortly after 9:30 p.m. A passenger of the Civic died, as did one of the pedestrians.

A driver involved in the crash with the golf cart that same evening, Eryk Wnek, 22, of Linden, was also facing charges.

City officials said last week that they were looking to triple fines for similar unsanctioned events as a way to deter them from happening in the future.

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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.