Wallingford Man Charged In Lisbon Crash That Killed Pregnant Girlfriend: Police

LISBON, CT — A Wallingford resident is facing a manslaughter charge for a fiery one-vehicle crash in August 2024 in Lisbon which killed his pregnant girlfriend.

Rafy Torres, 35, of Cherry Street, Wallingford, was arrested on a warrant Thursday.

State police charged him with second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, operating under the influence, reckless driving, operating under suspension, and failure to maintain proper lane.

The accident happened Aug. 19, 2024 on I-395 northbound. Police said Torres was driving under the influence of alcohol when his Ram B3500 left the roadway and struck a bridge abutment.

Torres was able to escape the wreckage to safety. The vehicle caught fire, and his passenger and girlfriend, Anjelly Berrios, who was seven months pregnant, died on scene, an arrest warrant shows.

Torres told police he had been looking for cigarettes he had dropped while he was driving, when he heard Berrios yell, “Babe watch out!” according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

He told police he tried to get Berrios out of the vehicle after he escaped, but it burst into flames and he couldn’t reach her, the warrant shows.

Torres reported to police he had one can of beer to drink around 7 p.m., while the crash happened around 10:19 p.m., police said.

Hospital personnel took a blood specimen from Torres. His blood alcohol level about an hour later, at 11:21 p.m. was at 0.10, above the legal limit of 0.08, police said, in the warrant.

Torres was held on $150,000 bond and arraigned Thursday in Superior Court in Norwich. He is due back in court on Sept. 19, court records show.

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