A Riverhead man pleaded guilty today to aggravated vehicular homicide and other charges for causing the multi-vehicle crash on County Road 105 that killed his passenger and injured several others, according to the district attorney’s office.
Cristian Mendoza-Baquiax, 37, pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated vehicular homicide; one count of second degree manslaughter; two counts of second degree assault; one count of aggravated driving while intoxicated; and two counts of third degree assault, the district attorney’s office said in a press release. He is due back in court for sentencing next month and is “expected to be sentenced to five to 15 years imprisonment,” according to the press release.
Mendoza-Baquiax was the driver of a vehicle that caused the multi-vehicle crash just north of the Cross River bridge in Riverhead around 6:15 p.m. on Aug. 7. According to court documents and the defendant’s admissions during his guilty plea allocution, Mendoza-Baquiax was traveling at a high rate of speed in the opposite lane of travel when he struck several vehicles. Mendoza-Baquiax exhibited signs of intoxication and stated that he had six beers; a toxicology test after he was arrested revealed a blood alcohol concentration of .21%, according to the district attorney’s office.
A passenger in the vehicle driven by Mendoza-Baquiax, Nelson Reyes-Muxin, died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash. Another passenger in the vehicle sustained multiple fractures to his arm, a dislocated shoulder and was treated at Peconic Bay Medical Center, the press release states.
“This defendant’s fateful decision to drive while under the influence of alcohol caused the tragic death of Nelson Reyes-Muxin and severe injuries to several other individuals,” said District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a statement. “This conviction is a reminder to all that drunk driving kills.”
Mendoza-Baquiax was originally charged with felony driving while intoxicated, police said in a press release after the crash. Seven cars were involved in the crash and eight people in total were injured, Riverhead Police said in the press release. The incident littered County Road 105 with debris and closed the road between Flanders Road and Riverside Drive until early next morning while police conducted an investigation at the scene.
An attorney for Mendoza-Baquiax at Suffolk County Legal Aid Society could not immediately be reached for comment.
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