BK Driver Indicted In Fatal Crash That Killed Passenger: DA

BROOKLYN, NY — A 31-year-old man has been indicted over a fatal motor vehicle crash in Williamsburg back in February that killed his passenger after he drove through a red light, prosecutors announced.

Michael Rivera, of Williamsburg, was arraigned on Tuesday and is facing manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and leaving the scene of an accident charges, among others, prosecutors said.

Rivera faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the top count, prosecutors said.

Rivera is accused of driving his Mercedes-Benz through a red light at the intersection of Harrison Avenue and Lorimer Street and colliding with an MTA bus, prosecutors said.

The Feb. 24 collision caused the passenger, identified as Alex Caba-Guitierrez,33, to be ejected from the vehicle and thrown to the ground, prosecutors said.

"This defendant’s extreme recklessness behind the wheel cost the life of an innocent person and put many more people in harm’s way. Brooklyn deserves safe streets, and I am committed to holding accountable any driver who endangers our community with this kind of dangerous and criminal conduct," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.

EMS responded to the scene and transported Caba-Guitierrez to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue where he was later pronounced dead, prosecutors said.

The driver of the MTA bus and a passenger were taken to Interfaith Medical Center in stable condition.