A Queens man was indicted for his alleged role in a February crash on Sunrise Highway that killed a 70-year-old Nassau County Police crossing guard.
On February 26, 2026, at approximately 8:00 a.m., Joshua Alvarado was driving a commercial pickup truck eastbound on Sunrise Highway in Merrick. While en route to a service call for an extermination business, the defendant allegedly fell asleep at a red light at the intersection of Merrick Avenue and Sunrise Highway.
After the light turned green, witnesses reported that the honking of fellow drivers startled Alvarado, who then drove diagonally through the intersection, bearing left towards Merrick Avenue.
Alvarado allegedly mounted the curb and struck 70-year-old John Miro, a Nassau County Police crossing guard who was standing on the sidewalk.
Miro was clearing the sidewalk of snow and helping children cross the intersection moments before he was hit. He suffered severe injuries, including blunt force trauma to his head, a broken hip, and multiple broken ribs.
The victim was rushed into emergency surgery at Nassau University Medical Center. Miro’s condition deteriorated over the following week, and he died from his injuries on March 6, 2026.
The investigation revealed that Alvarado was allegedly operating his vehicle under the influence of powerful sedatives and illegal street drugs.
A toxicology report confirmed that Alvarado was impaired by Xanax and Clonazepam when he struck the victim. His blood results also revealed the presence of an illegal and highly potent synthetic drug known as “street Xanax.”
Alvarado, 30, was arrested on February 26, 2026, by detectives with the Nassau County Police Department’s 1st Precinct Squad. He was arraigned on March 31 before Judge Robert Bogle on grand jury indictment charges of Manslaughter in the Second Degree (a Class C felony); Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree (a Class D felony); Assault in the Second Degree (a Class D violent felony); two counts of Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs and one count of Driving While Ability Impaired by the Combined Influence of Drugs (all unclassified misdemeanors).
Alvarado pleaded not guilty and was remanded. He is due back in court on May 5, 2026. If convicted, the defendant faces up to 7 to 15 years in prison.
“A beloved crossing guard is dead because this defendant allegedly drove while highly impaired by a powerful mixture of sedatives and illegal street drugs,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said. “He allegedly struck down John Miro on the very sidewalk where he had helped children safely cross for years, leaving a permanent void in the lives of everyone who knew him. We intend to seek justice for Miro’s family and the community that relied on his consistent, reassuring presence.”