Driver charged after tow operator died in Queens expressway crash
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Denzel Porter allegedly drove into a Volkswagen on the westbound Long Island Expressway early on October 8, 2022, setting off a crash that killed tow operator Carlos Santiago and injured five others.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Carlos Santiago, 47, was helping a motorist with a disabled Nissan on the westbound Long Island Expressway in Queens when Denzel Porter allegedly drove a Dodge Durango into a Volkswagen nearby. Santiago died, and five other people were injured. Reports disagree about the next impact: ABC7 attributed both men's injuries to the Nissan, while Fox 5 reported that Santiago was struck by the Volkswagen and the Nissan injured its owner. Porter was later arraigned on charges including vehicular manslaughter. Santiago was a father of three who worked for Knights Towing.
A roadside tow became a fatal collision
Santiago was preparing to tow a disabled Nissan when Porter allegedly drove a Dodge Durango into a Volkswagen driven by Peter Park. Both drivers were traveling west on the expressway. Santiago died, and the official crash record counts five injured people, including the Nissan's owner.
Accounts differ about the subsequent impacts. ABC7 attributed injuries to both Santiago and the Nissan's owner to the disabled sedan. Fox 5 reported that Santiago was struck by the Volkswagen, while the Nissan injured its owner.
On the westbound expressway in Elmhurst
The crash occurred around 3:28 a.m. on October 8, 2022, on the westbound Long Island Expressway near Woodhaven Boulevard in Elmhurst. Santiago was assisting the stranded motorist on the right shoulder, beside the travel lanes where Porter and Park were driving.
The people at the roadside
Carlos Santiago, 47, was a Howard Beach father of three who worked for Knights Towing. He had stopped to help a motorist with a disabled car.
The Nissan's owner, 27-year-old Rakiem Ali, suffered serious injuries and required intensive surgical care. Prosecutors identified the Volkswagen driver as 66-year-old Peter Park.
An indictment followed
The official crash record associates alcohol involvement and following too closely with Porter's Dodge. Prosecutors alleged that Porter drove drunk and at extremely high speed. In February 2023, he was arraigned on an indictment that included vehicular manslaughter, assault and criminally negligent homicide charges.