HAUPPAUGE, NY – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced the guilty plea of 21-year-old Jesus Bonilla of Commack for his involvement in a deadly street racing crash that claimed the life of 57-year-old James Beck of Huntington Station.
In a tragic event on November 19, 2022, Bonilla, while racing a 2009 Honda sedan against a Saab SUV on Jericho Turnpike, struck and killed Beck as he crossed the street. The crash, a result of reckless driving at speeds nearly double the legal limit, highlighted the dangers of treating public roads as racetracks.
Bonilla’s guilty plea to Manslaughter in the Second Degree and Reckless Driving comes after extensive investigation and crash reconstruction, which determined Bonilla’s speed at the time of the accident was 79 mph in a 40 mph zone. This act of reckless endangerment led to Beck’s untimely death, marking the incident as both avoidable and tragic.
On February 8, 2024, Bonilla admitted to the charges before Supreme Court Justice Richard Ambro, facing a potential prison sentence of two to six years. His sentencing is scheduled for April 4, 2024.