Driver Sent To Prison For Fatal Brooklyn Crash, Ran Red-Light: DA

BROOKLYN, NY — A 25-year-old man has been sentenced to prison after he ran multiple red lights and crash into another vehicle, killing the driver inside back in 2023, prosecutors announced.

On March 13, 2023, Elijah Lucaine drove his car through a red light at 70 m.p.h in a 25 m.p.h zone and T-boned a black Acura belonging to David Ellis, 56, who was in the driver’s seat at the corner of Crown Street and Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights, prosecutors said.

Ellis was taken to Kings County Hospital with a leg fracture, rib fractures, and a lung contusion. He died five days later because of blunt force trauma from the crash, prosecutors said.

Lucaine will spend 3 to 9 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree manslaughter in May, prosecutors said.

“This defendant’s reckless decision to speed and disobey traffic lights cost an innocent man his life and endangered many others," District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. "He has now been held accountable for his criminal conduct. I remain committed to keeping Brooklyn’s streets safe for all people.”