Driver indicted after passenger dies in Williamsburg bus crash
A driver prosecutors later identified as Michael Rivera allegedly ran a red light before a collision with an MTA bus at Harrison Avenue and Lorimer Street in Brooklyn at 9:46 p.m. on February 26, 2024; city records list one death and two injuries.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police said a southbound Mercedes driver ran a red light before colliding with an eastbound MTA bus at Harrison Avenue and Lorimer Street. Press reports said passenger Alex Caba-Gutierrez was ejected and died at Bellevue Hospital. Prosecutors later identified the driver as Michael Rivera and alleged he had been speeding and running other red lights; city records list one death and two injuries.
Police said the Mercedes driver ran a red light
Police said a southbound Mercedes driver ran a steady red light before colliding with an eastbound MTA bus. Brooklyn Paper reported that rear-seat passenger Alex Caba-Gutierrez was ejected and taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The crash record lists one death and two injuries. Brooklyn Paper reported that the 31-year-old bus driver and a 41-year-old bus passenger were taken to hospitals in stable condition.
Reports differed about what went onto the sidewalk after the collision. Brooklyn Paper reported that the Mercedes mounted a nearby curb and contacted a Citi Bike rack. The New York Post reported that the impact forced the bus onto the sidewalk, where it contacted a kiosk before Caba-Gutierrez was ejected.
The crash happened at a Williamsburg intersection
The crash record places the collision at Harrison Avenue and Lorimer Street in Brooklyn at 9:46 p.m. on February 26, 2024. Press accounts describe it as happening around 9:45 p.m. and identify the location as Williamsburg. The Mercedes was traveling south on Harrison Avenue and the bus east on Lorimer Street.
The crash involved a sedan and a bus
The crash record lists a 2010 sedan traveling south and a 2018 New Flyer bus traveling east. Press accounts identify the sedan as a Mercedes-Benz and the bus as an MTA bus.
Family said Caba-Gutierrez had planned a birthday outing
Brooklyn Paper reported that Caba-Gutierrez lived about a mile from the crash and died on his 33rd birthday. The official crash record lists the fatal passenger as 32.
His sister, Ivelise Caba, told the Daily News, as quoted by Atlanta Black Star, that he had planned to stay home before Rivera called and invited him out. His mother, Olga Caba, said, “He just left his friend to die. As a friend, you should want to stay and help.”
Rivera faced an eight-count indictment
Brooklyn Paper reported that Rivera, 31, was arraigned on May 21, 2024, on an eight-count indictment. The charges included second-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault, criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene without reporting, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, excessive speed, and failure to obey a traffic signal.
Prosecutors alleged that Rivera drove faster than 49 mph in a 25 mph zone and ran multiple red lights. They also alleged that surveillance footage showed him approach Caba-Gutierrez before leaving. These were allegations, not findings of guilt.
Reports gave different dates for Rivera’s arrest or custody: Brooklyn Paper reported a May 1 arrest, while Atlanta Black Star reported he was taken into custody on April 30.