What to Know
- A 24-year-old Brooklyn man has been indicted on manslaughter and other charges in a May 27 crash that killed a motorcyclist on Ocean Parkway
- Authorities say Christopher Diaz was driving at 83 mph in a 25 mph zone when he smashed into the motorcycle, splitting it in half
- The impact was so strong it flung the rider into the air and over the median; he landed between two parked cars on a service road
A 24-year-old Brooklyn man has been indicted for allegedly speeding while drunk -- 83 mph in a 25 mph zone -- and slamming into a motorcyclist so hard the vehicle split in half, killing the rider, authorities say.
Christopher Diaz, of Brighton Beach, faces charges of manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, conspiracy and other crimes in the May 27 death of 28-year-old Evvon Alexander in Kensington.
Diaz was driving a 2014 black Infinity Q50 sedan registered to his girlfriend, 23-year-old Jasmin Morales-Cruz, around 4 a.m. on Ocean Parkway that day. He was driving north as Alexander rode south; the motorcyclist was hit when he tried to turn onto Beverley Road. He was thrown in the air and over the median between the main parkway and the service road, landing between parked cars. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
When cops arrived, Diaz and his girlfriend, who was also in the vehicle, both claimed she had been driving because she had only had one drink and Diaz had had several, the Brooklyn district attorney's office said. Their two passengers also said Morales-Cruz had been driving, but days later confessed it had been Diaz behind the wheel and they had been asked to lie. Diaz's blood alcohol level was not tested because of the alleged conspiracy to put his girlfriend as the driver, but authorities say he later admitted he had consumed up to eight beers before the deadly crash.
Surveillance video discovered over the course of the investigation put the couple and their passengers at three different bars before the collision; footage also allegedly showed Diaz get into the driver's seat shortly before the accident. Text messages asking the passengers to lie to authorities about who was driving were also recovered; other evidence allegedly shows that Diaz accelerated from 65 mph to 83 mph seconds before the crash and applied the brake just a half-second before impact.
"A thorough and comprehensive investigation by my Office showed that these defendants allegedly lied to police in order to help the driver of this vehicle to escape justice for slamming into a law-abiding motorcyclist and killing him," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. "The victim was a father whose family is now devastated. I am determined to keep Brooklyn’s roads safe for cyclists, motorists and pedestrians alike and will continue to bring anyone who unlawfully endangers those who use our streets to justice."
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Bail was set at $400,000 bond or $200,000 cash; Diaz is due back in court later this month and faces up to 15 years if convicted of the top count against him. Attorney information for him wasn't immediately clear.
