Thrill-seeking driver, 23, charged in NYC crash that killed teen girl, 21-year-old man: cops
The thrill-seeking Chrysler driver who crashed in the Bronx over the weekend — killing two of his passengers, including a 15-year-old girl — was charged with manslaughter Thursday, cops said.
Enrique Lopez, 23, also faces raps for criminally negligent homicide, assault, criminal possession of stolen property, endangering the welfare of a child, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief in connection to the deadly Hunts Point smash-up that happened before dawn Sunday, cops said.
Sabrina Villagomez, 15, of Nanuet, Rockland County, and Giovante Roberson, 21, of East New York, were killed when Lopez allegedly lost control and rammed into a parked oil tanker truck at the corner of Bryant and Viele avenues around 3:20 a.m., sources said.
A 17-year-old girl riding in the back seat was hospitalized in critical condition, police said.
Before the deadly crash, Lopez, of Far Rockaway, was trying to pull stunts but didn’t account for the slight slump in the road, which cuts through the heart of an industrial area near the East River, said the owner of the totaled truck.
“There was salt on the road, and there’s a dip, so when he hit that, he started losing control,” the owner, who identified himself as Chip, told The Post on Monday.
“I saw what happened,” he continued. “I saw what happened right after the accident, I saw how many kids were outside trying to open the doors.”
Lopez was swerving out of control just before his car catapulted into the parked fuel truck, according to police sources and footage of the wreck.
Images of the aftermath show the Chrysler completely wrecked by the crash, with the truck visibly damaged on its hood and bumper.
Lopez had been driving recklessly as part of a meet-up of thrill-seeking motorists, sources said.
After the crash, he too was hospitalized and listed in stable condition.
His relationship to the young riders in his car was unclear Friday.
Roberson’s mother, Sabrina Roberson-McCray, told The Post Tuesday that she gave her son a gut-wrenching goodbye as he lay dead in the hospital, telling him, “Mommy’s here.”
“Those 21 years were the best years of my life,” Roberson-McCray said. “He was my best friend.”
“He loved Michael Jackson, mimicking him,” she continued. “I’ve got the videos of him doing the dance. He lived to travel. He loved to help me. Everything he did for me. He was here with me every day.”
Jay Ben, 27, a friend of Roberson, lamented his pal’s death to The Post on Monday.
Two of the victims went to Ramapo High School in Rockland County — including Villagomez, who was a sophomore, according to a letter to the community sent by the school district.
“This news is devastating for our entire East Ramapo school community, and our hearts are with the families and friends of these two students,” Superintendent Clarence G. Ellis wrote.
