A Queens man who admitted speeding and performing dangerous driving maneuvers at a Hunts Point car meet-up has been sentenced to prison after a crash that killed two passengers and critically injured a third.
BRONX, N.Y. — A Queens man has been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for a reckless driving crash in the Bronx that killed a 15-year-old girl and a 21-year-old man while leaving another teenager with life-altering injuries.
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced that Enrique Lopez, 25, was sentenced by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Steven Hornstein after pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree manslaughter and one count of second-degree assault.
Lopez received concurrent sentences of 3⅓ to 10 years in prison for each manslaughter conviction and 3½ years in prison, followed by three years of post-release supervision, for the assault conviction.
Deadly crash occurred during Hunts Point car meet-up
According to prosecutors, the crash happened at approximately 3:17 a.m. on Jan. 21, 2024, near the intersection of Viele Avenue and Bryant Avenue in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx.
Investigators said Lopez was driving a 2013 Chrysler 300 with three passengers inside while participating in dangerous driving activity at a car gathering.
Prosecutors said Lopez was “spinning in circles near bystanders on the street and performing rapid accelerations and turns” before accelerating to approximately 70 mph in an area with a posted speed limit of 25 mph.
Vehicle slammed into fuel truck
Authorities said Lopez lost control and crashed sideways into a truck carrying fuel oil.
The impact killed 15-year-old Sabrina Villagomez, who was seated in the rear of the vehicle, and 21-year-old Giovante Roberson, who was sitting in the front passenger seat.
A 17-year-old girl riding in the back seat survived but suffered numerous broken bones and other traumatic injuries, prosecutors said.
District attorney condemns reckless driving
“A 15-year-old girl and a 21-year-old man were killed and a 17-year-old girl’s life is now a battle with pain and suffering, because of the defendant’s reckless stunt driving in a car meet-up in Hunts Point,” District Attorney Clark said.
“The street was crowded with vehicles and bystanders. His car slammed into a fuel oil truck, and it is fortunate that more lives were not ruined.”
Clark added, “I hope this sentence brings some consolation to the victim and to the families of the dead.”
Guilty plea entered in April
Lopez pleaded guilty to the charges on April 28.
The sentencing concludes a case that prosecutors said stemmed from dangerous stunt driving on a public roadway where numerous spectators and vehicles were present.