A Lindenhurst man pleaded guilty to manslaughter for a deadly alcohol-fueled joyride in Valley Stream that killed a 22-year-old man.
On February 10, 2024, at approximately 4:27 a.m., Aaron Cooper, a member of the Marine Corps Reserve and a former member of the New York Police Department, was driving a 2023 Toyota Supra back and forth on Rosedale Road in Valley Stream with 22-year-old Pablo Rivera in the front passenger seat.
Cooper crossed the double yellow line and drove westbound in the eastbound lanes when he struck a utility pole and a tree before coming to rest on the hood of a car in the front yard of a home on Rosedale Road. According to the crash data recorder, just two seconds before the crash, Cooper was driving at approximately 109 miles per hour. Rivera was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Cooper was taken to Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital for treatment of his injuries, which included several broken ribs. At the hospital, he told detectives that he was currently a police officer in the 17th Precinct in New York City. In January 2023, he was terminated from his employment with the NYPD.
Blood taken from the defendant at the hospital revealed a blood alcohol content of .16% approximately one hour after the crash.
Cooper was arrested at the scene by members of the Nassau County Police Department.
On November 6, Cooper, 26, pleaded guilty before Judge Christopher Quinn on charges of Manslaughter in the Second Degree (a Class C felony); Assault in the Second Degree (a Class D felony); Driving While Intoxicated (an unclassified misdemeanor); and Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree (an A misdemeanor). He is due back in court on January 6, 2025, where he is expected to be sentenced to four to nine years in prison. NCDA recommended a sentence of 7-12 years in prison.
“Two times the legal limit for alcohol and recklessly speeding over 100 miles per hour, Aaron Cooper lost control of his sports car, careened into a utility pole and killed 22-year-old Pablo Rivera,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly. “This defendant twice tried to deny his involvement to authorities, saying first that he stopped to help after witnessing the crash, and later, that he was in the car but was not driving. And while he was terminated from the NYPD in 2023, Cooper, in the aftermath, tried to pass himself off as an active service member to curry favor. He knew what he did and the consequences that would follow. Now, after today’s plea, the consequence he faces is years behind bars. I hope that this defendant’s actions and the anguish he caused Pablo’s family serve as a cautionary tale to other motorists who would get behind the wheel intoxicated. If you drive drunk and take an innocent life, you will be aggressively prosecuted.”