Nassau Man Indicted For Fatal Road Rage Crash

A Valley Stream man was indicted today for his alleged role in a road-rage crash that took the life of another man.

Dana King, Jr., 23, was arraigned on charges of second-degree manslaughter and two counts of second-degree assault. He is due back in court on June 10. If convicted of the top charge, he could face up to 15 years in prison.

“This defendant allegedly could not accept that his relationship with his ex-girlfriend was over and as a result Jim Hayes, Jr. lost his life,” said Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas. “The allegations of very high speeds, chasing and striking the car paint a picture of extreme recklessness and a lack of regard for the lives of anyone in the defendant’s way.”

According to Singas, on March 18 at 11:30 p.m., Jim Hayes, Jr, 22, picked up Isabel Rodriguez from her Valley Stream home in a 2007 BMW. About a block from the house, Singas said that Rodriguez saw King, her ex-boyfriend, driving a black Audi behind them. Singas said that King then began to chase the two from Valley Stream to Hempstead, at times striking their car.

While on Baldwin Avenue in Hempstead, Singas said that King hit the Audi again, causing it to become airborne and crash into a tree. The force of the impact also sent King's car spinning, Singas said, causing it to crash into two parked cars and then coming to a rest several hundred feet away.

The crash killed Hayes, who was pronounced dead at the scene, and caused serious injuries to Rodriguez. She was taken to Nassau University Medical Center, where she was treated for a broken back and a broken arm.

King sustained non-life threatening injuries. He was arrested at the scene, and then taken to a hospital for treatment.