Crime & Safety
Swampscott Man Indicted in Double-Fatal DUI Crash: ICYMI
Steven Birenbaum, of Swampscott, was charged with drunk driving in a double-fatal crash: in case you missed it.
SWAMPSCOTT, MA — A drunk Swampscott driver who caused a double-fatal crash in August has been indicted for manslaughter, authorities said Monday.
On August 31, Steven Birenbaum, 27, was driving a Subaru Legacy over 80 mph at 1 a.m. when he rear-ended an airport/hotel shuttle bus on the Massachusetts Turnpike in East Boston, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley. Both vehicles struck barriers. Two shuttle passengers — Joseph Rodriguez, 59, and Sandra Arreola, 56, of El Paso, Texas, were killed. The shuttle driver and two other passengers suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said Birenbaum's blood-alcohol level was .15 — nearly twice the legal limit.
Find out what's happening in Swampscottfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Birenbaum will be arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court November 28.
An indictment means a grand jury has determined a trial is warranted based on evidence in the case.
Find out what's happening in Swampscottfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Photo: Shutterstock
This story was first published Nov. 14, 2016
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