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Christian Lopez, of Brentwood, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide in Suffolk County Court Thursday, Oct. 27.
Prosecutors said he admitted to drinking alcohol and ingesting a potent analog of fentanyl before getting behind the wheel on Oct. 2, 2021.
At around 9:40 p.m., while going more than twice the speed limit on Second Avenue near Hilltop Drive, Lopez’ Acura sedan slammed into a Toyota Camry being driven by Rodolfo Polanco.
The impact sent the Camry into the opposite lane, where it was struck by an upcoming Jeep Wrangler, killing Polanco’s wife Soraida instantly.
Rodolfo Polanco later died from his injuries at South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore.
Six others were injured in the crash, one of them seriously, Suffolk County Police said.
Officers who responded to the crash reported that Lopez was obviously impaired and that he admitted to drinking alcohol and “zoning out.”
Toxicology results revealed he had a blood alcohol content of .05 percent, along with the presence of fluorofentanyl, police said.
Investigators determined that Lopez had been traveling 67 miles per hour in a 30 miles per hour zone at the time of the crash.
“This defendant’s selfish and reckless actions caused the untimely death of a family," Suffolk County DA Raymond Tierney said in a statement.
“It is outrageous conduct such as this that has led our office to petition the legislature to increase the sanctions for criminally negligent driving that causes the deaths of innocent victims.”
In addition to the vehicular homicide charge, Lopez pleaded guilty to two counts of felony second-degree manslaughter and one count of driving while ability impaired by drugs and alcohol, a misdemeanor.
He now faces between five and 15 years in prison when he’s sentenced in January 2023.
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