A driver is indicted after a fatal New Year's Day hit-and-run in Queens.
The First Morning
Jonnathan Barbecho is accused of striking two pedestrians and fleeing; the official record logs one pedestrian killed and one injured at 4:07 a.m. on Jan. 1 at 102nd Street and 32nd Avenue, while prosecutors place the crash at 37th Avenue.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Prosecutors allege Jonnathan Barbecho drove south on 102nd Street and struck two pedestrians crossing near 37th Avenue, then fled. Darwin Adrian Malan Cargua died, and Luis Paco Romero Gaucho was seriously injured. The crash record logs one pedestrian killed and one injured at 4:07 a.m. on Jan. 1 at 102nd Street and 32nd Avenue, while prosecutors and news reports place the collision at 37th Avenue. In August, Barbecho was arraigned on a 19-count indictment that includes aggravated vehicular homicide and manslaughter; Gothamist reported that he pleaded not guilty.
Reported vehicle makes
- Chevrolet — accepted press report
Make information is incomplete for the vehicles involved in this crash.
Two friends were walking home from a celebration.
ABC7 reported that Malan Cargua and the other pedestrian were friends walking home from a New Year's Eve celebration when a driver struck them. Prosecutors later alleged that Barbecho left a bar, drove south on 102nd Street at high speed, and struck both men as they crossed.
The official record counts one pedestrian killed and one injured. ABC7 reported that one man was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was taken to Elmhurst Hospital in critical condition.
Reports place the crash at different intersections.
The NYC crash record places the collision at 102nd Street and 32nd Avenue in Queens and logs the time as 4:07 a.m. The Queens district attorney and ABC7 instead place it at 102nd Street and 37th Avenue in Corona, around 4 a.m. The accounts give different cross streets.
Malan Cargua's family remembered his work and support.
ABC7 reported that Malan Cargua worked in construction. His uncle, Angel Daquoelema, said he came to New York for a better life and to provide for his family; relatives said he worked nonstop to care for his mother and siblings. His uncle was seeking help to send his body to Ecuador.
Reports gave different ages for Malan Cargua: ABC7 identified him as 25, the Queens district attorney as 27, and Gothamist as 37.
Prosecutors identified the injured pedestrian as Luis Paco Romero Gaucho; ABC7 referred to him as Luis Romero, reported that he was hospitalized in critical condition, and said friends were thinking of his young child.
Reports describe the moving and parked vehicles separately.
Prosecutors alleged Barbecho drove a white Chevrolet Traverse SUV; early coverage described the moving vehicle as a white SUV. QNS reported that Malan Cargua was thrown beneath a parked 2021 Honda Pilot. The official record lists a parked 2021 Honda as a station wagon/SUV.
Barbecho was later indicted and pleaded not guilty.
Queens prosecutors said Barbecho was arraigned on a 19-count indictment, including aggravated vehicular homicide, second-degree manslaughter, vehicular assault, operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of an incident without reporting. Prosecutors said he fled to Ecuador after the crash and was apprehended while attempting to enter Honduras; a judge remanded him.
Gothamist reported that Barbecho pleaded not guilty, according to his attorney.