Drivers indicted after motorcyclist dies on Henry Hudson Parkway
A 42-year-old motorcycle rider was killed on the Henry Hudson Parkway on Aug. 3, 2023, and prosecutors later accused Cary Brown and Marcos Vega-Pagan of racing before they hit Joel Quintana and fled.
What We Know
Joel Quintana, 42, was riding south on the Henry Hudson Parkway near West 145th Street when he was hit on the night of Aug. 3, 2023. The official crash record lists one death, unsafe speed, and a motorcycle and sedans involved. Police first said they were examining possible drag racing; prosecutors later said Cary Brown and Marcos Vega-Pagan raced southbound in a Mercedes and BMW at speeds up to 90 mph, hit Quintana, and fled. Brown and Vega-Pagan were indicted on manslaughter and other charges. Press accounts identify Quintana as an Inwood resident, a father of six, and a Loew’s Hotel manager who enjoyed riding his motorcycle.
Two drivers were accused of hitting a rider and leaving
The official crash record places the fatal crash on the Henry Hudson Parkway at 10:52 p.m. on Aug. 3, 2023, with one motorcyclist killed and no other injuries recorded. News accounts citing police placed the crash near West 145th Street shortly before 11 p.m.
Police said Joel Quintana was riding south when a speeding BMW driver hit him from behind, throwing him into the center lane, where a Mercedes driver also hit him. Both drivers left the scene, according to police accounts cited by the New York Post and Daily News.
Joel Quintana was remembered as a father and hotel manager
Medics took Quintana to Harlem Hospital after the crash, where he died, according to police accounts in multiple news reports.
Investigators focused on speed and alleged racing
The official crash record lists unsafe speed as a contributing factor and records a motorcycle and two sedans traveling south before the crash. The vehicle records identify the sedans as a BMW and a Mercedes.
Early police accounts said investigators were trying to determine whether the drivers had been drag racing. In October, the Manhattan District Attorney alleged that Cary Brown and Marcos Vega-Pagan raced southbound on the parkway at speeds up to 90 mph before Vega-Pagan hit Quintana and Brown then hit him on the roadway.
One arrest led to indictments against two men
Police arrested Cary Brown, 28, on Aug. 31 and charged him with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, and aggravated unlicensed operation, according to the New York Post. The Daily News reported that Brown was accused of driving the Mercedes and that the BMW driver remained at large at that time.
On Oct. 10, the Manhattan District Attorney announced indictments against Brown and Marcos Vega-Pagan on manslaughter and other charges. Prosecutors said Brown was further accused of driving without a license, while Vega-Pagan faced insurance-fraud and falsifying-business-records charges tied to an alleged false damage claim after the crash.
The crash happened on a Harlem parkway segment
The official record locates the crash on the Henry Hudson Parkway in Manhattan, and news reports place it near West 145th Street in Harlem. The drivers and Quintana were reported to be traveling southbound on the parkway.