Drivers Indicted After Fatal Henry Hudson Parkway Motorcycle Crash
Prosecutors accused Cary Brown and Marcos Vega-Pagan of drag racing before both drivers hit Joel Quintana and left; city records list one motorcyclist killed on the Henry Hudson Parkway on Aug. 3, 2023.
What We Know
Joel Quintana, 42, died after a crash on the Henry Hudson Parkway in Harlem on Aug. 3, 2023. City records list one motorcyclist killed and unsafe speed as a contributing factor. Police and prosecutors later said Cary Brown and Marcos Vega-Pagan were racing southbound in a Mercedes and a BMW near West 145th Street, traveling as fast as 90 mph, when Vega-Pagan hit Quintana and Brown then hit him after he fell into the roadway. Both drivers left, prosecutors said. Brown and Vega-Pagan were later indicted on manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and leaving-the-scene charges, with additional charges against each man.
Prosecutors described a high-speed chain of impacts
City crash data records the fatal crash on the Henry Hudson Parkway at 10:52 p.m. on Aug. 3, 2023, while police accounts in news reports put it at 10:57 p.m. or around 11 p.m. The official record lists a motorcycle and two sedans, all traveling south, and records unsafe speed as a contributing factor.
The Manhattan district attorney said Cary Brown and Marcos Vega-Pagan were drag racing southbound in a Mercedes and a BMW near West 145th Street. Prosecutors alleged they were traveling up to 90 mph when Vega-Pagan hit Joel Quintana, who was riding a motorcycle, and Brown then hit him after he fell into the roadway.
Joel Quintana was identified as the motorcyclist who died
Joel Quintana was 42 and lived in Inwood, according to police accounts cited by the New York Post and Daily News. The Daily News and AMNY reported that he was a father of six; the Daily News also reported that he managed a Loew's Hotel on the Upper East Side and enjoyed riding his motorcycle.
Medics took Quintana to Harlem Hospital Center, where he died from his injuries, according to police and prosecutors.
The crash happened on a Harlem stretch of the Henry Hudson Parkway
The official record places the crash on the Henry Hudson Parkway in Manhattan. Police and prosecutors described the location as southbound near West 145th Street in Harlem.
Police and prosecutors tied the crash to a BMW and a Mercedes
The official crash record lists a 2022 Honda motorcycle and two sedans: a 2010 BMW and a 2014 Mercedes. The record says each was traveling south and going straight before the crash.
News reports citing police said a BMW driver first hit Quintana from behind. Prosecutors later identified that driver as Marcos Vega-Pagan. Police and prosecutors said Cary Brown was driving the Mercedes and hit Quintana moments later.
Speed and alleged racing drove the case
City crash data lists unsafe speed as a contributing factor for the fatal crash. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the defendants showed extreme recklessness and negligence by allegedly racing down the parkway.
The Daily News reported that police initially suspected drag racing. By October, prosecutors alleged Brown and Vega-Pagan were racing at speeds of up to 90 mph.
Both drivers were indicted after an initial arrest
In October, the Manhattan district attorney announced indictments against Brown and Marcos Vega-Pagan on manslaughter, assault, criminally negligent homicide and leaving-the-scene charges. Prosecutors also accused Brown of driving without a license and accused Vega-Pagan of insurance fraud and falsifying business records after he allegedly filed a claim for damage to his BMW.