Homeless Man Pleads Guilty To Running Over Skateboarding Teen

A homeless man pleaded guilty on Friday to deliberately running over a teen with his minivan in West Hempsted in the fall of 2017.

Luis DeJesus, 43, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and aggravated driving while intoxicated. He is due back for sentencing on Oct. 22 and is expected to receive 15 years in prison.

“Because of the callous and thoughtless actions of a drunk driver, a 15-year-old boy continues to suffer life-threatening injuries nearly a year after being run over and dragged by a minivan,” said Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas. “A vehicle can be a dangerous weapon when driven in such an irresponsible and reckless manner. Public safety demands that drivers who engage in this kind of behavior are held responsible.”

On Oct. 27, 2017, seven teenage boys were walking and skateboarding through the parking lot of the Cherry Valley Shopping Center in West Hempstead around 5:45 p.m. As they were walking, a blue minivan, driven by DeJesus, drove by them and then made a U-turn.

DeJesus revved the car's engine and drove directly at the boys. Several of them managed to jump out of the way, but one, who was on his skateboard, was hit and dragged underneath the van.

A group of people managed to stop DeJesus and hold him until the police arrived and arrested him. Police later determined that he was drunk at the time of the crash.

The teenager, who is now 15, was taken to NYU Winthrop Hospital for emergency surgery. He was hospitalized for five weeks in the intensive care unit. Today, he attends physical therapy three times a week and continues to suffer a brain bleed, permanent vision damage to his left eye and has a large pulmonary embolism. He is only able to attend school part time.

Photo courtesy Nassau County District Attorney's office