Fatal Rockville Centre DWI Driver Gets Up To 10 Years Jail Time: DA

MINEOLA, NY. — A 25-year-old Far Rockaway man was sentenced to up to 10 years in jail Thursday after pleading guilty to vehicular manslaughter and other charges stemming from a 2023 DWI crash that killed his cousin, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said 25-year-old Samuel Gutierrez Orozco was driving south on Peninsula Boulevard at 10:34 p.m. on Sept. 17, 2023 when his car crossed over the roadway’s median into the northbound lanes and crashed into a tree. A nearby motorist flagged down a NCPD medic shortly thereafter, and the medic found Larry Josue Orozco Torrez, Gutierrez Orozco’s 23-year-old cousin, unresponsive in the passenger seat, prosecutors said. At 10:52 p.m. that night, Orozco Torrez was pronounced dead, prosecutors said.

After more police officers arrived to the scene, prosecutors said police removed Gutierrez Orozco from the vehicle and took him to NYU Langone Long island Hospital. Blood samples taken from Gutierrez Orozco after the crash revealed a blood alcohol content of .12 percent as well as the presence of marijuana and cocaine, prosecutors said.

“Without concern for his life or the life of his cousin, Samuel Gutierrez Orozco climbed behind the wheel of his car, drunk and high on marijuana and cocaine, and sped down Peninsula Boulevard until his intoxication forced him to lose control and crash into a tree,” Donnelly said. “The violent force of the crash killed Larry Josue Orozco Torrez instantly, ending the promise of a young man, robbing him of a future, and devastating his family. Drunk and drugged drivers are a danger to everyone who shares the road with them – passengers and other drivers alike. We will continue to send the message through our prosecutions that this criminal behavior will not be tolerated.”

Patch attempted to reach Gutierrez Orozco's attorney, Robert Schalk, for comment Friday morning.

Gutierrez Orozco was arrested Apr. 15, 2025, prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, second-degree vehicular manslaughter, second-degree assault and DWI on Dec. 15, 2025, prosecutors said. The DA’s office recommended a sentence of six to 10 years in prison, but the final sentence is for between four and 10 years, prosecutors said.