Driver sentenced in fatal car wreck near Yankee Stadium
CONCOURSE, the Bronx (PIX11) — A driver who killed a 69-year-old woman in a car crash while fleeing from police near Yankee Stadium two years ago is heading to prison, authorities said Wednesday.
Carlos Hernandez, 24, was sentenced to two to six years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter last month, according to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office.
Hernandez was speeding in a BMW X6 when he ran a red light and T-boned another driver, Cathy Garcia, near East 161st Street and River Avenue at around 5:20 a.m. on Aug. 25, 2022, then fleeing the scene, prosecutors said. Garcia, a Bronx resident, died at the scene.
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“It’s a sucky situation. You’re barely even getting a slap on the wrist, I feel like, for taking a life,” Garcia’s daughter, Nubia Garcia, told PIX11 News.
She said the family was consulted by the Bronx District Attorney’s Office about the plea deal and told Hernandez likely wouldn’t have gotten more time at trial because he had no prior convictions.
Nubia also said a trial “would have probably been even more painful. We were able to get some type of justice; of course, you always wish for more.”
Authorities found the defendant’s DNA on the driver’s side airbag and recovered a dozen stolen catalytic converters, according to court records.
Bronx DA Darcel D. Clark said Hernandez killed “a beloved sister and aunt.”
“It is outrageous that we lost a vibrant member of the community because of the defendant’s reckless actions,” Clark said.
Two other men were passengers in Hernandez’s vehicle at the time of the fatal wreck.
The three men allegedly ran off after the collision, leaving behind the BMW, which had no license plates and about a dozen stolen catalytic converters in the trunk, along with a jack used to boost the parts, according to police. The men even left behind their shoes, according to authorities.
Catalytic converters are a popular target for thieves due to the valuable precious metals inside and the relative ease with which they can be stolen.
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the New York City area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.
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