Driver charged after two pedestrians killed on Amsterdam Avenue
Elvin Suarez was charged after police said he drove drunk into pedestrians near Amsterdam Avenue and West 109th Street, where the city recorded two pedestrians killed and four people injured.
What We Know
Two male pedestrians, ages 46 and 35, were killed and four other people were injured in a Friday evening crash at Amsterdam Avenue and West 109th Street, the city crash record shows. Police and prosecutors said Elvin Suarez, 61, was driving north on Amsterdam Avenue in a 2019 Mercedes-Benz SUV when he went over a concrete island, entered the sidewalk area and hit pedestrians before a chain-reaction crash involving parked vehicles. Police identified the men killed as Jason Negron and Michael Saint-Hilaire. Suarez was arrested and charged with DWI, manslaughter and other vehicular charges; prosecutors said a hospital breath test showed his blood alcohol level above the legal limit. News accounts differ on whether four or five pedestrians were struck, while later police and prosecutor accounts describe four pedestrians and an occupied van driver among the people harmed.
Official Crash Data
Collision ID
4899219
Date
May 15, 2026
Time
6:00 p.m.
Location
Amsterdam Ave & W 109th St, Manhattan
Borough
MANHATTAN
Fatalities
2
Pedestrians killed
2
Vehicles listed
SUV, Sedan, Van, Station Wagon/Sport Utility Vehicle, 4 dr sedan
Contributing factors listed
Alcohol Involvement
A Friday evening crash spread from the street to the sidewalk
The crash happened at about 6 p.m. on May 15, 2026, at Amsterdam Avenue and West 109th Street in Manhattan. The city crash record lists two pedestrians killed and four other people injured, including two pedestrians and two motorists.
Police said Elvin Suarez was driving north on Amsterdam Avenue in a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 SUV when he first collided with a parked Volkswagen Jetta, continued through the area and went over a concrete island before hitting pedestrians. Police said he then collided with an occupied Chevrolet van, leading to more parked vehicles being damaged.
Amsterdam Avenue had a long crash record before this case
The crash site is at Amsterdam Avenue and West 109th Street in Manhattan. Along Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan, CrashCountNYC recorded 2,226 crashes, 1,161 injuries, 86 serious injuries and 7 deaths from the start of 2022 through June 1, 2026.
Police identified the men who died
Police identified the pedestrians killed as Jason Negron, 46, and Michael Saint-Hilaire, 35, both of Manhattan. The city crash record lists the fatal victims as male pedestrians ages 46 and 35.
Relatives and friends described Negron as a longtime doorman and father. ABC7 reported that his daughter Naiyah Negron said the community was greatly shattered by his death. The Daily News reported that Saint-Hilaire was a father of triplets who worked at Mount Sinai Health System and was remembered by his sister as a person who wanted to see people around him happy.
Alcohol was central to the case
The city crash record lists alcohol involvement as a contributing factor. Police arrested Suarez and said he was charged with DWI, manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter and vehicular assault. Prosecutors later said responding officers smelled alcohol on his breath and that a hospital breath test showed a blood alcohol level of .131, above the legal limit.
Earlier news accounts citing police sources reported a .1 breathalyzer result. Suarez's attorney did not comment on the drunk-driving allegation in court, Gothamist reported, and said he wanted to examine whether a medical episode could have played a role.
Neighbors and witnesses described an immediate rescue effort
Witnesses told reporters that people at the scene tried to help the victims. ABC7 reported that cellphone video showed strangers trying to lift the Mercedes off a man pinned underneath. The Daily News quoted neighbor Louis Lopez saying dozens of people tried to move the SUV but could not.
At arraignment, prosecutors said surveillance video showed the victims being sent several feet by the impact. Gothamist reported that a judge set bail at $250,000 and that Suarez was due back in court on May 21.