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Aaron Cooper, age 26, of Lindenhurst, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and related charges in Nassau County Court on Wednesday, Nov. 6, in the death of Pablo Rivera.
Prosecutors said Cooper’s blood alcohol content was twice the legal limit when he lost control of his sports car going over 100 miles per hour and struck a utility pole and tree along Rosedale Road in Valley Stream just before 4:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 10.
His Toyota Supra came to rest on its hood in the front yard of a home on Rosedale Road.
The crash data recorder showed that Cooper was driving nearly 110 miles per hour two seconds before the wreck, prosecutors said. Rivera, who was riding in the passenger seat, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Cooper suffered several broken ribs and was taken to Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital in Oceanside. While there, he told investigators he was currently an NYPD officer in New York City’s 17th Precinct, when he had actually been fired more than a year before.
Testing revealed he had a blood alcohol content of 0.16 percent, twice the legal limit to drive, an hour after the crash.
“This defendant twice tried to deny his involvement to authorities, saying first that he stopped to help after witnessing the crash, and later, that he was in the car but was not driving,” said Nassau County DA Anne Donnelly.
“I hope that this defendant’s actions and the anguish he caused Pablo’s family serve as a cautionary tale to other motorists who would get behind the wheel intoxicated.”
In court Wednesday, Cooper pleaded guilty to the following counts:
- Manslaughter in the second degree (felony)
- Assault in the second degree (felony)
- Driving while intoxicated (misdemeanor)
- Criminal impersonation (misdemeanor)
He faces four to nine years in prison when he’s sentenced on Jan. 6, 2025.
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