Driver indicted after passenger dies in Williamsburg bus crash
City records show one passenger died and two motorists were injured at Harrison Avenue and Lorimer Street; prosecutors said Michael Rivera ran red lights before hitting an MTA bus.
What We Know
On Feb. 26, 2024, police and prosecutors said Michael Rivera drove a Mercedes-Benz through red lights at Harrison Avenue and Lorimer Street and hit an MTA bus. The city crash record lists one passenger dead and two motorists injured, with traffic-control disregard recorded for the Mercedes driver. Brooklyn Paper identified the passenger as Alex Caba-Gutierrez; news reports described him as 33, while the city crash record lists the fatal passenger as 32. Prosecutors later said Rivera left the scene after seeing Caba-Gutierrez injured, and he was indicted on manslaughter and related charges.
What police and prosecutors said happened
Prosecutors later identified the driver as Michael Rivera of Williamsburg. They alleged that surveillance footage showed him speeding and running multiple red lights before the collision.
A fatal crash at Harrison Avenue and Lorimer Street
The crash was recorded at Harrison Avenue and Lorimer Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
CrashCountNYC location context for Lorimer Street in Brooklyn shows 287 crashes, 157 injuries, 13 serious injuries and 4 deaths since 2022.
Alex Caba-Gutierrez was thrown from the back seat
Brooklyn Paper identified the passenger who died as Alex Caba-Gutierrez. The city crash record lists the fatal passenger as a right-rear occupant; news reports described him as 33, while the city record lists him as 32.
First responders found Caba-Gutierrez with severe injuries, and EMS took him to NYC Health+Hospitals/Bellevue, where he was pronounced dead. Brooklyn Paper reported that Feb. 26 was his 33rd birthday.
Sources describe the other injuries differently. The city record counts two injured motorists. Brooklyn Paper initially reported that paramedics took the 31-year-old bus driver and a 41-year-old passenger to hospitals in stable condition; a later article, citing prosecutors, said the bus driver and several passengers were taken to the hospital.
The Mercedes and the MTA bus
The city record lists a 2010 Mercedes sedan traveling south with three occupants, and a 2018 New Flyer bus traveling east with two occupants. Prosecutors described the Mercedes-Benz as red and unregistered.
The city record says both drivers were going straight ahead before the collision. Police and prosecutors said Rivera hit the bus after running a red light.
Red-light and speeding allegations led to charges
The city record lists traffic-control disregard for the Mercedes driver. Prosecutors alleged that Rivera drove faster than 49 mph in a 25 mph zone on Harrison Avenue and ran multiple red lights before he hit the bus.
The case moved to Brooklyn Supreme Court
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said the alleged conduct put many people in harm's way. Justice Herbert Moses ordered Rivera to return to court on July 23, 2024. Brooklyn Paper reported that Rivera faced up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the top count.