Driver indicted after fatal Upper West Side crash
Jason and Michael
Elvin Suarez was driving north on Amsterdam Avenue near West 109th Street at 6 p.m. on May 15, 2026, when prosecutors say he crossed a median and struck pedestrians; official person records identify two pedestrians as killed, and a grand jury later indicted him.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Prosecutors allege that Suarez was speeding north on Amsterdam Avenue, hit a parked car, crossed the median near West 109th Street and struck four pedestrians and an occupied parked vehicle. Jason Negron, 46, and Michael Saint-Hilaire, 35, were killed; three other people were seriously injured. A grand jury indicted Suarez on aggravated vehicular homicide and other charges. His lawyer said he wanted to investigate whether a medical episode played a role; the charges remain allegations.
Prosecutors allege a path across the median.
In the indictment account, prosecutors allege that Suarez was driving north at high speed, struck an unoccupied parked vehicle between West 107th and West 108th streets, continued through West 109th Street and crossed the median separating the bike lane from the roadway. They say he then struck four pedestrians and an occupied parked vehicle, which was pushed into other parked cars.
Early accounts differ on the sequence and the number of pedestrians struck. ABC7 reported that police said parked cars, including a Volkswagen and a minivan, were hit before five men were struck. Witnesses quoted by the New York Post said the sequence began with a sideswipe on East 108th Street. The indictment account describes an initial parked-car impact, four pedestrians and an occupied parked vehicle.
Negron and Saint-Hilaire were part of the neighborhood.
Jason Negron, 46, worked for 20 years as a doorman at a nearby apartment building and is survived by his wife and two daughters. His daughter Naiyah told ABC7, "He was the kind of person who made any, and everybody feel loved and cared for, regardless of who they were."
Michael Saint-Hilaire, 35, was a father of triplets and worked at Mount Sinai Health System. His friend Zubosqui Garcia told the Daily News that Saint-Hilaire hoped to join the NYPD and was planning a birthday gathering for his children. His sister Kilsis remembered him as "a ball of love."
Reports differ on where the men were pronounced dead.
NBC New York reported that police said Negron and Saint-Hilaire were pronounced dead at the scene. Patch and CBS reported that the men were taken to a hospital and pronounced dead there. The official collision record establishes the crash date, time and location, but not where either man died.
Patch reported that three other victims survived: a 44-year-old pedestrian with an open fracture to his right leg, a 36-year-old pedestrian with back fractures, and a 51-year-old man inside the parked vehicle who suffered head, neck and shoulder injuries. West Side Rag reported that about 100 people gathered for a candlelight vigil for Negron and Saint-Hilaire.
The indictment alleges intoxication; the defense cited health concerns.
A grand jury indicted Suarez on aggravated vehicular homicide, manslaughter, aggravated vehicular assault and other charges. Prosecutors alleged he drove while intoxicated and at high speed. At a May court appearance, prosecutors said a hospital breath test measured his blood alcohol level at .131; earlier reports citing police or police sources gave a result of .1. The official crash record lists alcohol involvement as a contributing factor.
Defense attorney Lawrence Fisher said Suarez had undergone brain surgery and had other serious medical conditions. Fisher said he wanted to investigate whether a medical episode played a role. The charges are allegations, and Suarez is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Where
AMSTERDAM AVE and W 109 ST