GOSHEN, N.Y. — A Port Jervis man pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter in the first degree after admitting he was intoxicated when he caused the death of his 11-year-old passenger in a crash last year, Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced on Friday.
Yeraldo Roa, 35, pleaded guilty in Orange County Court on October 4, 2024, to driving while intoxicated and crossing a double-yellow line on Route 6 in the Town of Woodbury, leading to a multi-vehicle crash on September 23, 2023. The crash killed the young girl, who had been riding in Roa’s car.
Roa admitted in court that his blood alcohol content was .20, more than twice the legal limit, when he drove his vehicle into oncoming traffic, striking three cars before colliding head-on with a fourth vehicle. The 11-year-old girl, who has not been publicly identified, was pronounced dead at Garnet Health Medical Center. Several other people involved in the crash were treated for injuries at St. Luke’s Hospital.
“Deaths such as this are as preventable as they are tragic,” District Attorney Hoovler said in a statement. “My deepest sympathy and condolences go out to the family and loved ones of this exceptional girl, who lost her life because someone made a conscious decision to drink and drive.”
Roa, who pleaded guilty to the highest charge in his indictment, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 20, 2024. He faces a significant prison term for the fatal crash.
District Attorney Hoovler thanked the New York State Police and their Collision Reconstruction Unit for their investigation and assistance in the case, as well as the emergency responders who treated victims at the scene.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Mangold.
