Man Pleads Guilty To Fatal LI Drunken Crash; Lying About NYPD Employment: DA

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — A Lindenhurst man pleaded guilty Wednesday to manslaughter and other charges for a "deadly alcohol-fueled joyride" in Valley Stream that killed his passenger, a 22-year-old man, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly announced.

Aaron Cooper, 26, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter; second-degree assault; driving while intoxicated; and second-degree criminal impersonation. He is due back in court on Jan. 6, where he is expected to be sentenced to four to nine years in prison. The Nassau County DA's Office recommended a sentence of 7 to 12 years in prison, it stated.

Cooper drove while at double the legal limit for alcohol and sped "recklessly" over 100 mph, Donnelly said. Cooper lost control of his sports car, hit a utility pole, killing Pablo Rivera, she said.

"This defendant twice tried to deny his involvement to authorities, saying first that he stopped to help after witnessing the crash, and later, that he was in the car but was not driving," Donnelly said in a news release. "And while he was terminated from the NYPD in 2023, Cooper, in the aftermath, tried to pass himself off as an active service member to curry favor. He knew what he did and the consequences that would follow. Now, after today’s plea, the consequence he faces is years behind bars. I hope that this defendant’s actions and the anguish he caused Pablo’s family serve as a cautionary tale to other motorists who would get behind the wheel intoxicated. If you drive drunk and take an innocent life, you will be aggressively prosecuted."

Around 4:27 a.m. Feb. 10, Cooper, a member of the Marine Corps Reserve and a former member of the NYPD, was driving a 2023 Toyota Supra back and forth on Rosedale Road in Valley Stream with Rivera in the front passenger seat, investigators said.

Cooper crossed the double-yellow line and drove westbound in the eastbound lanes when he struck a utility pole and a tree before coming to rest on the hood of a car in the front yard of a home on Rosedale Road, authorities said.

According to the crash data recorder, just two seconds before the crash, Cooper was driving at approximately 109 mph, prosecutors said.

Rivera was pronounced dead at the scene, the DA said.

Cooper was taken to Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital for treatment of his injuries, which included several broken ribs, officials said.

At the hospital, Cooper told detectives that he was currently a police officer in the 17th Precinct in New York City, authorities said. Cooper had been terminated from his employment with the NYPD in January 2023, investigators said.

Blood taken from Cooper at the hospital revealed a blood alcohol content of 0.16 percent roughly one hour after the crash, the DA said.

Cooper was arrested at the hospital by members of the Nassau County Police Department, the DA said.

Cooper is represented by Richard Hochhauser.