By Gus Saltonstall
The man who was allegedly driving while intoxicated and jumped the curb into four pedestrians on the corner of West 109th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, killing two of them, was indicted on Wednesday on multiple counts in connection with the May incident, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced.
Elvin Suarez, 61, has been indicted on counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, second-degree manslaughter, aggravated vehicular assault, and aggravated driving while intoxicated, according to the DA’s office.
“As alleged, Elvin Suarez’s decision to drive while intoxicated had devastating and entirely preventable consequences,” Bragg said in a news release. “Three men were significantly injured, and Jason Negron and Michael Saint-Hilaire—devoted fathers, loyal friends, and beloved members of their Upper West Side community—were killed.”
Suarez was driving his car around 6 p.m. on May 15, while allegedly intoxicated and at a high rate of speed, heading northbound on Amsterdam Avenue, between West 107th and 108th streets, when he struck an unoccupied parked car, according to court documents. He continued driving up the avenue, when he jumped over a median separating a bike lane from the street, allegedly striking four people.
“A few minutes later, police officers arrived at the scene, finding Mr. Negron unresponsive and trapped beneath Suarez’s vehicle, and Mr. Saint-Hilaire receiving CPR from a bystander,” reads the DA Office’s news release. “The remaining three victims – 36, 44, and 51-year-old men – received treatment by first responders for their injuries.”
One of those victims was the 51-year-old man who was sitting in his parked car at the corner of West 109th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.
Negron was a longtime, beloved doorman of a nearby Upper West Side building on West 110th Street. He leaves behind two daughters and a wife.
Read More:
- 2 Men Killed After Car Jumps UWS Sidewalk Curb and Crashes Into Pedestrians: Police
- UWS Community Holds Candlelight Vigil to Mourn Two Men Killed in Friday Night Crash
- Beloved UWS Doorman’s Passing Leaves Neighborhood Building in Mourning: ‘He’ll Be Dearly Missed’
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This was so horrible.
And it is my understanding that the perpetrator knew some of the men from the neighborhood and hung out with them
Yes especially tragic given the acquaintance.
Still want a follow up on two questions
1. Where did he get so drunk? If it was at a bar or restaurant, are they going to face any consequences for over serving him?
2. Why is there so little enforcement of drunk driving laws on the UWS? We can’t wait until someone kills before we get them off the road.
Technically a .08 BAC is considered drunk. This equates to the amount of drinks consumed in one hour, and can range from 2 to 4 drinks depending on ones body weight and sex.
A standard drink equals about 0.6 ounces of pure alcohol, which translates to: 12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits (one shot).
While having 2-4 drinks can put you over the limit, a bartender is not going to consider that this person has been overserved after drinking 2 beers. While I do not know this suspect’s BAC, anybody who has consumed slightly over the amounts listed in the previous paragraph could be considered DUI if breathalyzed.
And what about all other areas of all five boroughs. The UWS shouldn’t have special treatment !
If someone gets shot, is your response “Why is there so little enforcement of shooting laws on the UWS?” What exactly is your plan to better “enforce” drunk driving laws?
In Australia we have something called random breathalyzer tests. Not hard. It’s a massive deterrent but they still catch drunk drivers. I’ve been driving in NYC and never been, or heard of anyone getting checked.
Very grateful that they’re thowing the book at this guy.
And yes, if he was overserved there’s a lawsuit against the bar or restaurant that served him.
But your claim about ‘so little enforcement?’ Is there a study showing that there’s a lot of ignored drunk driving on our streets? Do you have some idea how something like this can be prevented without putting cops on the avenues and major crosstown streets to observe 24/7?
New cars in the EU are required to be sold with driver monitoring systems that detect drunk driving. In 2026, it’s absolutely a solved problem, but the US has refused to require these life saving technologies.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/seeing-machines-announces-groundbreaking-impairment-detection-capability-302550160.html
I have no problem with that but it’s not really relevant to the original comment or my reply.
And cars last 20 years. It’s literallly a generational solution.
And the car is still sitting out in front of the 24th precinct on the street
Yes, I walked by it yesterday.
I’m glad Mr. Bragg is going after him. What are the potential total sentences for this? What will be the timing of this? Did they reveal his blood alcohol level? A little more detail would be helpful – might be in the articles but I would assume the summary on WSR would tell us this? This is what people want to know. Thanks.
I’m glad there are consequences for an avoidable accident like this one.