Driver sentenced in NYC crash that killed salsa star and Cardi B friend

Editor’s note: The story in the video player originally aired on Aug. 3, 2022.

INWOOD, Manhattan (PIX11) – A New York City man who caused a crash that killed two pedestrians, including a salsa star and a friend of rapper Cardi B, was sentenced to 5-15 years in prison Friday, the Manhattan district attorney said.

Leandro Diaz-Ramirez, 29, of the Bronx, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree manslaughter in connection to the deadly crash in Inwood in August 2022, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

David Fernandez, 40, and Joel Adames, 31, two friends who were well known in the community, were the two pedestrians killed in the crash.

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Diaz-Ramirez was driving approximately 59 mph in a 25 mph zone, sped through a red light at the intersection of Sherman Avenue and 207th Street and T-boned a vehicle driving through a green light at the same intersection, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

The crash caused the other vehicle to skid onto the sidewalk and hit Fernandez and Adames, authorities said.

Diaz-Ramirez was under the influence of marijuana at the time of the crash, according to authorities.

“Leandro Diaz-Ramirez’s reckless driving caused the tragic death of two pedestrians. Leandro Diaz-Ramirez appropriately received the maximum sentence for manslaughter in the second degree, but nothing can bring back Joel Adames and David Fernandez, whose lives were cut short,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.

Fernandez was a salsa instructor and the winner of many international salsa competitions.

“He was just an amazing person,” Jolemy Clasé, a lifelong friend of Fernandez, told PIX11 News in August 2022. “The community loved him.”

Fernandez was also a well-known barber. He had given Adames a late-night haircut before they were tragically killed.

One of Adames’ relatives described him as beloved.

“He was my little cousin, he was a sweetheart. He was the love of the family,” she said.

Cardi B memorialized Adames in a social media post after his death.

“Stupidness, negligence, I hope the worst to who committed this!” Cardi B wrote. “Took someone sooo loved, full of life and just all around amazing leaving people destroy.. RIP JOEL.”

Finn Hoogensen is a digital journalist who has covered local news for more than five years. He has been with PIX11 News since 2022. See more of his work here.

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