Hector Ortiz faced charges after a Brooklyn crash killed an EMT.
Hector Ortiz faced vehicular manslaughter charges after the official record placed the April 22, 2022, crash at 3:56 p.m. at Avenue P and West 4th Street; news reports identified the motorcyclist who died as 26-year-old Zhon Gerard Sherman and said two girls riding in Ortiz's Jeep were injured.
Approximate reported location.
What We Know
News reports said Ortiz turned at Avenue P and West 4th Street, but disagreed about whether the Jeep was a Patriot or Liberty and described the impact differently. The official record places the collision at 3:56 p.m. on April 22, 2022, and lists illegal drugs as a contributing factor for the Jeep's driver; this is a record entry, not a court finding. Reports say Sherman worked as an EMT at Maimonides Medical Center, where he died, and Ortiz faced vehicular manslaughter and other charges.
Reports differ on the Jeep and the impact.
The official record lists a Jeep in the station wagon or sport utility vehicle category and a motorcycle. It records the Jeep traveling east and turning left, and the motorcycle traveling north and going straight. The Daily News identified Sherman's motorcycle as a Harley-Davidson.
The Daily News and El Diario described the Jeep as a Patriot; 1010 WINS reported a Liberty. The Daily News described a broadside collision involving a gray Jeep Patriot making a left turn. WINS, citing police, reported that Ortiz turned in a Jeep Liberty and collided with Sherman; El Diario, citing a criminal complaint, also described Ortiz turning left in a Jeep Patriot and colliding with the motorcycle.
Sherman was remembered for helping others.
The Daily News and El Diario identified the motorcyclist as Zhon Gerard Sherman, 26; WINS spelled his first name Zohn. The Daily News and WINS reported that he died at Maimonides Medical Center, where he worked as an EMT. Relatives said he was on his way to pick up his girlfriend.
His cousin Nicholas Ramcharitar said Sherman was born and raised in Bensonhurst, was the second-youngest of four siblings, and hoped to become a nurse. Ramcharitar recalled, "If you had problems, he was the one to solve it."
Two children were injured, and Ortiz was arrested.
The Daily News reported that bystanders tried to help Sherman. WINS said two girls, ages 6 and 9, riding with Ortiz were hospitalized with minor injuries; El Diario identified them as Ortiz's daughters and reported that they were in stable condition.
The Daily News reported that Ortiz remained at the scene and was arrested. WINS said police took him into custody there.
Authorities alleged impaired driving.
The crash record lists illegal drugs as a contributing factor for the Jeep driver. WINS reported that Ortiz faced charges including vehicular manslaughter, aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child, and unlicensed operation. El Diario reported vehicular manslaughter and a felony impaired-driving charge involving children.
El Diario, citing a criminal complaint and prosecutors, reported allegations that Ortiz had taken methadone for 35 years, admitted smoking marijuana that day, and appeared bloodshot and glassy-eyed, spoke with slurred words, and was confused after the crash. These are reported allegations, not findings of guilt.
Where
intersection of W. 4th St. and Avenue P, Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, NY