A native of El Salvador was indicted for allegedly driving while intoxicated and crashing his car, ultimately killing a passenger in his car and injuring two others.
On October 6 at approximately 2:53 a.m., Jefry Valdez-Cruz and three others left a barbeque where he had allegedly been drinking alcohol. Valdez-Cruz was allegedly driving his BMW southbound on Bellport Avenue in Medford at a high speed when he veered into the northbound lane and into trees on the opposite side of the road.
A passenger in Valdez-Cruz’s car, Edgar Guevara Ramos, 22, of Bellport, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. Two other passengers also in Valdez-Cruz’s vehicle — Gustavo Martinez Cacares, 26, of Selden and Jasson Valdez Cruz, 24, of Medford — were transported to Stony Brook University Hospital and treated for their injuries. Cacares sustained serious physical injuries as a result of the crash.
On November 24, Valdez-Cruz was arraigned on the indictment before Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard I. Horowitz for the following charges:
- one count of Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, a Class B felony
- one count of Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Class C felony
- one count of Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Class D felony
- one count of Assault in the Second Degree, a Class D felony
- one count of Vehicular Assault in the Second Degree, a Class E felony
- one count of Assault in the Third Degree, a Class A misdemeanor
- two counts of Driving While Intoxicated, unclassified misdemeanors
- one count of Reckless Driving, an unclassified misdemeanor
Horowitz ordered Valdez-Cruz remanded. Valdez-Cruz is due back in court on December 15 and faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted on the top count. The United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has also lodged a detainer to deport Valdez-Cruz after he serves his sentence.
“This tragic incident was entirely preventable,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “The defendant’s alleged decision to drive while intoxicated cost a young man his life and left another seriously injured. My office remains committed to holding those accountable who endanger our community by choosing to get behind the wheel while impaired.”