Driver Pleads Guilty in Fatal First Avenue Chain-Reaction Crash
Angel Melendez pleaded guilty to manslaughter after prosecutors said he sped north on First Avenue, ran a red light at East 105 Street, and caused a chain-reaction crash that killed Nadjari Reid, matching the official record of a fatal Manhattan crash there on July 29, 2024.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Nadjari Reid, 51, died after a July 29, 2024 crash at First Avenue and East 105 Street in Manhattan. Prosecutors said Angel Melendez sped north on First Avenue, weaved between lanes, went through a red light at East 105 Street, and hit parked vehicles, setting off a chain reaction that pushed a parked car into Reid, who was standing between two parked cars. NYC's official crash record lists one pedestrian killed and three people injured; it also lists alcohol involvement for the crash and unsafe speed for the Mercedes driver. Prosecutors later said Melendez pleaded guilty to manslaughter, assault, and reckless endangerment.
Prosecutors described a high-speed run up First Avenue
The crash happened on July 29, 2024, at about 3:42 p.m. at First Avenue and East 105 Street, according to the city crash record. Prosecutors said Angel Melendez sped north from East 96th Street, moved between lanes, swerved around cars and pedestrians, hit a woman's shopping cart, and then went through a red light at East 105 Street.
At the northwest corner of First Avenue and East 105 Street, prosecutors said Melendez hit a parked motorcycle and a parked car. The impact pushed a parked car into another parked car and into Nadjari Reid, who was standing between the two parked cars.
The crash ended at an East Harlem corner
The official record places the fatal crash in Manhattan at First Avenue and East 105 Street, in the 10029 ZIP code. Prosecutors described the driving path as beginning near East 96th Street and continuing north to East 105 Street before the chain-reaction impact.
Nadjari Reid died after the impact
Reid, 51, was found in the roadway and taken to Cornell Hospital, where police said he was pronounced dead. The city crash record lists one pedestrian killed and three people injured, including one pedestrian and two motorists.
Prosecutors said another pedestrian was injured and survived. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg described Reid as a lifelong New Yorker and said, "My thoughts continue to be with Mr. Reid's loved ones."
Records and reports differ on the Mercedes description
The official crash record classifies the moving Mercedes as a 2007 Mercedes sedan traveling north and changing lanes. A July Patch report described it as a Mercedes SUV, while later prosecution-based accounts described a white Mercedes-Benz.
The official vehicle records also list a parked motorcycle, a parked SUV, a parked box truck, and a parked sedan among the vehicles recorded in the crash.
Speed, alcohol involvement, and charges followed the crash
The city crash record lists alcohol involvement as a contributing factor for the crash, and the Mercedes driver's vehicle record lists alcohol involvement and unsafe speed. Prosecutors said Melendez's reckless driving caused the fatal chain reaction.
Police initially announced charges including manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, reckless endangerment, and endangering the welfare of a child. Prosecutors later said Melendez pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, third-degree assault, and second-degree reckless endangerment, with sentencing expected in February.