Drunk Driver Charged With Manslaughter After Striking Motorcyclist: DA

QUEENS — A Flushing man was charged with manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol after fatally striking a motorcyclist in Elmhurst over the weekend, the Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Tuesday.

Jairo Ortiz, 24, was charged after drunkenly driving a black 2011 BMW and crashed against an unidentified man who was driving a 2021 Zhilong Fly Wing motorcycle between 82nd Street and 37th Avenue on Saturday about 1 a.m., prosecutors said.

Ortiz also did not carry a valid driver’s license, proof of insurance or registration for the vehicle, Katz said.

Ortiz faces up to seven years in prison if convicted, the district attorney said.

The motorcyclist was taken to the hospital after he was struck, and was pronounced dead, prosecutors said.