Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
Nassau County resident Reginald Nash, 26, of Lincoln Avenue in Roosevelt, pleaded guilty Thursday to aggravated vehicular homicide and assault for causing a fatal three-car collision on the Long Island Expressway in November 2023, according to the Queens District Attorney’s office. Nash admitted in Queens Supreme Court that he was driving at approximately 89 miles per hour with alcohol in his system when he crashed near the Greenpoint Avenue exit.
The crash occurred on November 19, 2023, at approximately 4:30 a.m., when Nash was driving a 2021 Honda Accord eastbound on the L.I.E. between Sunnyside and Blissville, prosecutors say. Nash slammed into a highway attenuator separating the highway from the Greenpoint Avenue exit, causing his Honda to spin clockwise and strike a Toyota RAV-4 driven by a 44-year-old man. The Toyota then spun and hit a Kia Telluride SUV driven by a 51-year-old man, according to the charges and indictment. The drivers of the Toyota and Kia were not injured.
Police from the 108th Precinct in Long Island City found the Honda Accord with extensive damage facing the wrong direction when they arrived on scene. Cameron Mency, 23, a passenger in Nash’s vehicle, was discovered lying on the left lane of the highway approximately 90 feet from the car and was unresponsive. Officers found Nash near the bumper of his vehicle attending to his 22-year-old fiancée Giselle Carchi, who was unconscious. Two other passengers, Nash’s sister Tiffany Cox, 36, and Crystal Ramos, 22, were both lying next to the driver’s side of the vehicle.
EMS rushed all four women to Elmhurst Hospital, but Mency sustained extensive head and body trauma and was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Carchi suffered serious injuries and underwent multiple surgeries to her back, while Ramos sustained head and body trauma and underwent surgery for a fractured tibia and has not regained full mobility. Cox also sustained head and body trauma.
The investigation revealed Nash had a blood alcohol content of 0.12%, exceeding the legal threshold of 0.08%, according to prosecutors. A search warrant executed for the vehicle’s black box indicated the car was traveling at approximately 89 miles per hour five seconds before the fatal collision and that the brakes had not been engaged.
“The defendant caused a horrific three-vehicle crash that killed one of his passengers and left three others with serious injuries that required surgery,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “When drivers make the selfish choice to get behind the wheel after drinking and then speeding recklessly down a highway, they put countless lives at risk — including the lives of their own friends and family.”
Location & Road Context
The collision occurred on the eastbound Long Island Expressway near the Greenpoint Avenue exit, between the Queens neighborhoods of Blissville and Sunnyside. This section of the L.I.E. has recorded 126 incidents in traffic databases, with recent reports including various roadwork and construction activities. The crash happened in the early morning hours when traffic is typically lighter on this major thoroughfare connecting Long Island to Manhattan.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Nash pleaded guilty before Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Hartofilis, who ordered him to return to court for sentencing on July 23. Nash is expected to be sentenced to 7 to 21 years in prison for the aggravated vehicular homicide and assault charges.
Broader Impact
“With this plea, we are ensuring accountability for the senseless loss of life and the pain and suffering inflicted,” DA Katz said. The case highlights the severe penalties for aggravated vehicular homicide in New York, which can result in sentences of up to 25 years when alcohol impairment and excessive speed combine to cause fatal crashes.