Juventino Anastacio Florentino, the driver suspected of killing two Chinese men in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, recently admitted that he had drunk beer before the accident, but the alcohol content in his blood was below the legal limit for drunk driving; he is currently charged with multiple charges including manslaughter and negligent homicide, to which he denies guilt and is still in custody.
A fatal car accident occurred in Sunset Park in the early morning of the 11th. Two Chinese men were hit by a speeding BMW while crossing the road at the intersection of 3rd Avenue and 52nd Street and died on the spot. After the accident, the vehicle fled in a hurry. The police found 23-year-old Florentino in his home on Staten Island based on the scattered car parts at the scene and the license plate reader in the area, and also seized his vehicle involved in the case.
Police said that Florentino was arrested on the afternoon of the 11th, more than seven hours after the accident. When he was arrested, the police smelled alcohol in his breath. He immediately took a breathalyzer test and found that his blood alcohol content was 0.06%, which is below the legal limit for drunk driving. The police also found a BMW in the driveway and found that the damage to the front of the car was consistent with the car accident, and the front of the car was stained with human tissue, which was believed to be caused by the victim being hit and bloodied.
During the interrogation, the suspect admitted that he bought a six-pack of Mexican beer Modelos before the car accident, “I drank six bottles of Modelos and two glasses of wine”, and admitted, “I drove myself last night, it was my fault, after hitting them, I went home”, and then insisted that he did not drink after returning home.
Florentino appeared in the Brooklyn Criminal Court on the 12th. The defense attorney pointed out that he did not face charges of drunk driving. A police insider said that the police are still tracking the suspect’s whereabouts on the night of the car accident to see if they can find evidence that he left the bar or was drunk before driving.
The fatal car accident caused the accidental death of 59-year-old Lin FaQiu and 80-year-old Chen KeXun. Surveillance video showed that the two were hit by a speeding BMW car and flew high when crossing the road. A witness was rushing to work in Sunset Park at the time. “I walked around the intersection and saw two bodies,” one fell on the sidewalk and the other fell next to the bus stop. The body facing up had its face split from the nose to the head.
It is reported that Chen KeXun immigrated to the United States in 2016. His 46-year-old son Qin Xiao Chen was very sad when he heard the bad news. He said that his father was originally a vegetable farmer in China. “We don’t know where my father went when the accident happened. He is very independent and he wants to live on his own.”
At that time, the two deceased were pushing shopping carts when crossing the road, and Chen KeXun was walking with crutches. The prosecutor said that the traffic light was red when they just crossed the road, but it was green when they reached the middle of the road. A moment later, a BMW car came speeding and hit the two people. According to the witnesses, the speed of the BMW car was over 70 miles per hour at that time.
In addition to manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, Florentino was also accused of leaving the scene of the accident without reporting the case, reckless driving, speeding and not obeying traffic signals. The defendant denied his guilt during the trial and the bail conditions were 100,000 yuan in cash and 300,000 yuan in deposit.
