The driver accused of a fatal wrong-way collision on the Hutchinson River Parkway in Westchester County was intoxicated and on his phone at the time of the crash, according to a criminal complaint.
Jose Ramon Espinal, 48, was arraigned Monday in Rye Township Court on charges of second-degree manslaughter and drunken driving in connection with the fatal crash Sunday morning.
Espinal, of Bridgeport, allegedly struck and killed a motorcyclist while riding in the wrong lane in Rye Brook.
The victim’s motorcycle caught fire on impact. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Espinal, who was also injured, had to be removed from his car and taken to Westchester Medical Center. He was released Sunday evening.
The wrong-way driver made it into the courtroom Monday, escorted by Westchester County police officers. He sat in tears at the defense table and didn’t look once at the victim’s relatives watching from the gallery.
Police are still waiting for the county medical examiner to establish the victim’s identity. The complaint names him as William Saleeby.
Espinal’s attorney, Sydney Stanley, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf to the drunken driving charge.
Juan Reyes, a friend and colleague of Espinal who arrived late to support his colleague, told Lohud he was not surprised to learn that Espinal had cried throughout his court appearance.
“He’s a very nice person, a hard worker,” Reyes said. “What happened is horrible.”
Espinal and Reyes both work at the New York Athletic Club in midtown Manhattan.
Reyes said he left work Saturday afternoon, but Espinal was scheduled until 10:30 p.m. Reyes wasn’t sure what Espinal did after leaving work that night, or what led to the accident a few hours later.
Sunday’s wrong-way collision is just the latest to occur in the New York metropolitan area in recent weeks.
On September 5, a Long Island mother was charged with her 57th license suspension for a wrong-way collision that killed her 9-year-old child in late August.
Two men were killed in Harlem on August 24 after a van veered onto the wrong side of the highway.
