DA Says Office Made A Mistake Letting Driver In Cotuit Crash Go

COTUIT, MA – A Fall River man who died in a crash that killed a 32-year-old Marine and new father was already out on bail in connection with a 2015 shooting when he was charged with drunk driving earlier this year. The prosecutor did not push to send Mickey Rivera back to jail, something the Cape and Islands District Attorney said Monday was a mistake on his office's part.

"The district court prosecutor simply asked for a bail warning and asked that he be released on his personal recognizance," District Attorney Michael O'Keefe told the Boston Globe. "Should he have done that? The answer is no."

O'Keefe went on to say the prosecutor should have pursued the case further given Rivera's history of criminal charges. The 22-year-old made bail months earlier after having it reduced from $35,000 to $1,000 under a Supreme Judicial Court ruling that required a realistic bail be set given a defendant's financial situation, according to the Globe.

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Authorities say Rivera was behind the wheel of a Toyota sedan that collided with an SUV driven by Kevin Quinn, a combat veteran who was on his way home from visiting his wife and newborn daughter in the hospital. Rivera and his passenger were thrown from the car, which split in half and caught fire.

Rivera was pronounced dead at the scene; his passenger, 24-year-old Jocelyn Goyette, of New Bedford, died Sunday night after being hospitalized with critical injuries.

Quinn died at the hospital after being extricated using the Jaws of Life.

Police are investigating the events leading up to the fatal collision on Rt. 28 East. Scanner reports before the crash indicate a police officer had begun pursuing Rivera for multiple traffic violations.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect the third fatality in the crash.

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