Drunk Driver Charged in NYE Crash That Killed Philadelphia Pastor

A Salem County man has been criminally charged in a two-car crash on New Year’s Eve that killed a prominent Philadelphia-area pastor in Vineland, New Jersey.

Donald Hunt Jr., 34, of Pittsgrove Township, was driving a Chevrolet Camaro southbound on North Delsea Drive at more than twice the posted speed limit and under the influence of alcohol when he struck a Chrysler 300 near Columbia Avenue at approximately 9:15 to 9:18 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2025, Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae said. The Camaro hit the Chrysler on the driver’s side. The driver of the Chrysler, 41-year-old Lance D. Warren of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, had been executing a U-turn when the collision occurred. Warren was pronounced dead from his injuries.

Prosecutors formally charged Hunt on April 2 with first-degree aggravated manslaughter, second-degree vehicular homicide, and third-degree strict liability vehicular homicide. He was arrested on April 3 and has been held at the Cumberland County Jail since. Court records did not list an attorney for Hunt as of Monday afternoon. Prosecutors have filed a motion to keep him jailed until trial, and a detention hearing has been scheduled.

The charges against Hunt are allegations. He has not been convicted in connection with this case.

Warren was born on May 21, 1984, to Lanette Warren and Michael Richardson. He had walked a path of faith from his earliest days. According to his obituary from NM Bartlett Funeral Home, Warren’s grandmother held him up at birth and dedicated his life to Jesus Christ. As a boy growing up near Larchwood and Hazel in Philadelphia, he wore suits around the neighborhood, sang “Jesus Loves Me” and preached to passersby from atop milk crates.

Warren was first ordained as an Elder in 2009 at Greater Love Chapel, where he had been a lifelong member. Bishop David Hill ordained him again in 2011, when he founded Mouth of God Ministries Church and co-founded Legacy Christian Academy with his mother. He met Diamond Brown while teaching; they courted from 2011 and married in 2017. He later earned degrees from Peirce College and Anchor Bible College, completing a Doctorate in Biblical Studies under Dr. Keith Curry. His ministry eventually became Shabach International Ministries, and he was ordained as an Apostle in 2024, the same year he co-founded the Apostolic Council of Churches with Bishop Corey L. Simpson.

Warren also taught at Greater Hope Christian Academy and Universal Creighton Charter School, founded Torah Ministers Academy in 2024, and authored three journals and a book titled Wearing My Pain Workbook with his grandmother, Alma Gore. Through Gracefully Loved Ministry, he and his sister Lynette ran food programs across Philadelphia, including weekly pandemic distributions and an annual Thanksgiving giveaway. In 2023, he directed Zip Code 19142 Jesus Week, a metro-wide outreach initiative he called a John 17 Movement. He was also known for preaching at funerals, a calling that led to a lasting partnership with Nicole M. Bartlett Funeral Home.

Warren is survived by his wife, Diamond Brown Warren; his parents; his siblings; and an extended family of in-laws, nieces, nephews, godchildren, aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his grandfather, Howard Gore.