Man Pleads Not Guilty to Driving Drunk, Causing Fatal LIE Crash: DA

A Queens man who was allegedly under the influence of alcohol when he fatally struck an Uber driver standing on the side of the Long Island Expressway in April pleaded not guilty to all grand jury indictment charges on Tuesday, according to Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas.

Bonifacio Enriquez, 35, of College Point, was arraigned on the following charges: second-degree manslaughter, second-degree vehicular manslaughter, second-degree assault, two counts of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving.

“This defendant is charged with driving recklessly while drunk and killing an innocent man, Roohul Ameen, while he was stopped on the road,” Singas said in a press release.

On April 7, Ameen was driving a Toyota Camry in the eastbound HOV lane, near Exit 41 in Jericho, when he hit the median, stepped out of the car to tie up his bumper and was then struck by a silver Ford SUV and a blue Nissan Altima at 2:05 a.m., police say. Enriquez, the driver of the the Ford SUV, was placed into custody for a DWI investigation and was charged later that day. The driver of the Nissan Altima remained on the scene and was not charged.

Enriquez is due back in court on August 2. Bail was continued at $300,000 bond or $250,000 cash, license suspension and his passport has been surrendered to the court.

He faces a maximum of 5 to 15 years in prison if convicted of the top count.

“A driver must be alert and ready for anything on our busy Nassau County roads, but this defendant allegedly chose to take the wheel while intoxicated, and we will hold him accountable for the tragic consequences of his recklessness,” Singas said.

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