A Friday evening on a quiet Upper West Side block ended in tragedy when a suspected drunk driver lost control of his vehicle near Amsterdam Avenue and West 109th Street, killing two men and injuring three others. The crash happened around 6 p.m., sending emergency responders to a scene that witnesses described as devastating. Two men were pronounced dead at the hospital, and the driver was taken into custody and charged with multiple offenses before the night was over.
How the crash unfolded
Elvin Suarez, 61, was driving a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 SUV northbound on Amsterdam Avenue when he allegedly struck a parked Volkswagen Jetta south of the intersection. The vehicle continued through the intersection, jumped a pedestrian island, and struck four people before crashing into a parked Chevrolet Astro van occupied by a 51-year-old man. The force of that collision pushed the van into a chain of additional parked vehicles, including a Honda CR-V, Toyota Sienna, Toyota 4Runner, and Nissan Altima.
Most of the men who were struck had been standing and sitting outside a local barbershop at the time. Cellphone footage captured in the immediate aftermath showed bystanders working together to lift the vehicle off a man who had been pinned underneath. Emergency responders transported all involved to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital.
The victims
Jason Negron, 46, and Michael Saint-Hilaire, 35, both Manhattan residents, were pronounced dead at the hospital. Saint-Hilaire was a father of triplets. Negron worked as a doorman in the neighborhood. Three other men, ages 36, 44, and 51, were treated at the hospital and listed in stable condition. The occupants of the parked minivan declined medical attention at the scene.
The block where the crash occurred is described by neighbors as a tight-knit stretch where most residents know one another. One witness said the community’s grief ran deep because nearly everyone in the area had a personal connection to at least one of the men who were hurt or killed.
Charges and investigation
Suarez was arrested at the scene and charged with two counts of manslaughter, three counts of vehicular manslaughter, two counts of vehicular assault, and driving while intoxicated. A breathalyzer test administered after the arrest showed a blood alcohol content of 0.10, above the legal limit of 0.08 in New York State…