Driver Charged After Two Men Killed on Amsterdam Avenue
The city crash record says two pedestrians were killed and four people were injured at Amsterdam Avenue and West 109th Street; prosecutors said Elvin Suarez was drunk and speeding before the crash.
What We Know
Two pedestrians died and four people were injured at Amsterdam Avenue and West 109th Street on May 15, 2026, according to the city crash record. Police and prosecutors said Elvin Suarez, 61, drove north on Amsterdam Avenue, hit a parked vehicle, crossed a median near the bike lane and hit pedestrians before a chain-reaction crash with parked vehicles. Prosecutors later said Suarez was intoxicated and speeding; he was indicted on aggravated vehicular homicide, manslaughter, assault and DWI charges. The charges are allegations, and Suarez is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. Some early news accounts described five pedestrians being hit, while later police and prosecution accounts described four pedestrians and one person inside a parked vehicle among the injured.
North on Amsterdam, then onto the median
The official crash record places the collision at Amsterdam Avenue and West 109th Street in Manhattan at about 6 p.m. on May 15, 2026, and records two pedestrians killed and four people injured.
Police and prosecutors said Elvin Suarez, 61, was driving north on Amsterdam Avenue in a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 SUV when he hit an unoccupied parked vehicle, continued through West 109th Street, crossed the median separating the bike lane from traffic and hit pedestrians. Prosecutors said he then hit an occupied parked vehicle, pushing it into other parked vehicles in a chain-reaction crash.
Amsterdam Avenue had a long crash record before this corner
The crash happened at Amsterdam Avenue and West 109th Street in Manhattan. CrashCountNYC location data for Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan shows 2,226 crashes, 1,161 injuries, 86 serious injuries and 7 deaths from Jan. 1, 2022, through June 1, 2026.
Two Upper Manhattan men died
Police identified the pedestrians killed as Jason Negron, 46, of Manhattan, and Michael Saint-Hilaire, 35, of Manhattan. The official record lists the people killed as male pedestrians ages 46 and 35.
News accounts described Negron as a doorman and Saint-Hilaire as a father of triplets who worked at a hospital. Loved ones and neighbors later gathered at memorials and funeral services for the men.
Alcohol and speed are central to the prosecution
The city crash record lists alcohol involvement as a contributing factor for the northbound SUV driver. Prosecutors said Suarez was intoxicated and speeding before he crossed the median and hit people near the corner.
Reports on alcohol testing differed: the Daily News and New York Post cited police sources saying Suarez tested at 0.1, while Gothamist reported prosecutors said a hospital breath test showed a blood alcohol level of 0.131.
Charges, bail and an indictment followed
Police arrested Suarez after the crash. Initial reports said he faced manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, vehicular assault and DWI charges. At arraignment, a judge set $250,000 bail, according to Gothamist.
In July, prosecutors said a Manhattan grand jury indicted Suarez on aggravated vehicular homicide, second-degree manslaughter, aggravated vehicular assault, assault and intoxicated-driving charges. West Side Spirit reported that he was scheduled to appear next in Manhattan Supreme Court on Oct. 28. The charges are allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.