A Hempstead man has been indicted on charges of allegedly driving drunk and crashing into a pole, killing one of his passengers and injuring another.
On February 24, at approximately 5:10 a.m., Elvin Maradiaga Ortiz was driving a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee westbound on Jerusalem Avenue with two passengers in the vehicle while intoxicated. Using surveillance video, investigators discovered that Maradiaga Ortiz allegedly spent hours excessively drinking at a local bar before getting behind the wheel and veering off the roadway.
Maradiaga Ortiz drove off the roadway, causing the vehicle to strike a pole and flip over. Afterwards, he allegedly fled the scene on foot, leaving his backseat passenger, 35-year-old Alex Banegas Figueroa, unconscious in the Jeep. Figueroa was transported to Nassau University Medical Center and was pronounced dead one week later on March 1. The surviving passenger suffered head and right shoulder pain and a laceration to his head.
Maradiaga Ortiz, 33, was arrested by members of the Nassau County Police Department on March 21. On June 25, he was arraigned in front of Judge Christopher Quinn on charges of second-degree manslaughter (a class C felony), second-degree vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death (both class D felonies), third-degree assault (a class A misdemeanor) and driving while intoxicated (an unclassified misdemeanor). He pleaded guilty and was remanded. He is due back in court on July 18. If convicted, he faces up to five to 15 years in prison.
“After crashing his vehicle into a pole on Jerusalem Avenue, flipping the car and killing 35-year-ol Alex Banegas Figueroa, this defendant allegedly took off on foot.” Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly feels that “there is no excuse for drinking and driving. It is a decision that can have catastrophic consequences and can cost someone their life.” Currently, the charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.