LI Man Receives Prison Sentence After DWI Crash Kills Passenger: DA

RIVERHEAD, NY — A Riverhead man was sentenced to prison Thursday after a 2021 DWI crash sent his car airborne and then, into a house, killing his passenger, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

He pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in June, Tierney said.

According to Tierney, Santiago Monzon-Archila, 40, had been drinking since the night before the December 17, 2021 crash. He was sentenced to an indeterminate sentence of 2 ¾ to 8 ¼ years in prison, Tierney said. He was also sentenced to a concurrent 1 to 3 years in prison on a second-degree vehicular manslaughter charge, and 6 months in prison for driving while intoxicated, Tierney said.

According to court documents and Monzon-Archila's admissions, on the morning of the crash at
5:00 a.m., he lost control of his vehicle on Flanders Road and crashed through an iron fence, into a parked truck and then through a wood fence, which caused the car to go airborne and finally crash into a house on Flanders Road, Tierney said.

The responding officer’s estimate was that Monzon-Archila's car crashed into the house at about 10-feet into the air before landing upside down with him trapped inside, Tierney said.

Police watched as the Monzon-Archila cut himself out of the driver’s seat belt, Tierney said. His passenger, Edis Noe Hernandez Nunez, was ejected from the vehicle and later pronounced dead at Peconic Bay Medical Center, Tierney said.

Monzon-Archila told police that he and Edis had been drinking beer since 7 p.m. the night before — and beer cans were found at the crash scene, authorities said.

The DA's office applied for a search warrant of Monzon-Achila's blood, which was taken one hour after the crash, Tierney said. Results of the indicated a blood alcohol content of .13 percent, Tierney said. The legal limit is .08 percent.

The case was heard before the Honorable Supreme Court Justice Richard I. Horowitz. Monzon-Archila was represented by Jeremy Mis, Esq. of the Legal Aid Society.

“This victim’s life was cut short due to this defendant’s decisions, which evinced a total disregard for the safety and well-being of his passenger and other motorists,” said Tierney. “We will continue to crack down on drivers who choose to endanger the citizens of Suffolk County on our roads.”