Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A 20-year-old Hauppauge man was indicted Friday on 19 charges, including two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, for a fatal crash that killed off-duty Nassau County Police Officer Patricia Espinosa on January 31, 2026, at approximately 6:07 a.m. Matthew Smith was driving a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado northbound on Alexander Avenue in Saint James when he ran a red light at high speed and struck Espinosa’s 2019 Alfa Romeo, according to Suffolk County prosecutors.
The force of the collision overturned Espinosa’s vehicle, leaving it upside down at the crash scene, Assistant District Attorney Emma Richards told Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei at the Arthur M. Cromarty Court Complex in Riverhead. Emergency responders required over 30 minutes to extricate the 42-year-old officer from her overturned vehicle before transporting her to Stony Brook University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Espinosa, who was the sole occupant of the Alfa Romeo, left behind a husband who is also a Nassau County police officer and a two-year-old daughter, prosecutors said.
Smith’s passenger, John Andali, sustained significant injuries including a head injury, pelvic fractures, and spinal fractures, requiring transport to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment, according to prosecutors. Smith himself suffered injuries to his leg in the crash. The defendant appeared before Justice Mazzei and was ordered held without bail after pleading not guilty to all charges, which carry a potential sentence of 8⅓ to 25 years in prison if convicted on the top charges.
Investigators determined that Smith and Andali had spent the early morning hours drinking in Patchogue before heading toward Jake’s 58 Casino Hotel in Islandia. According to prosecutors, Andali told police he initially met Smith at the James Joyce Bar and Restaurant, then encountered him again at a nearby restaurant called Lindo Mexico, where the two decided to drive to the casino together. Surveillance footage from the James Joyce Bar shows Smith drinking before leaving around 5:39 a.m., prosecutors said.
“Before leaving the bar in Patchogue, the defendant was warned by multiple people not to drive,” Richards told the court. “Despite the warnings, the defendant dangled his keys in front of multiple people’s faces at the bar and drove anyway.” Video footage from Jake’s 58 Casino Hotel shows the Silverado entering the casino parking lot at approximately 5:47 a.m., with additional footage from inside the casino showing Smith appearing unsteady on his feet as he walked through the establishment. The video later shows Smith returning to the vehicle and leaving the casino around 5:49 a.m., according to prosecutors.
Andali described Smith’s driving as “driving crazy” to investigators, telling police that Smith ran red lights and stop signs while driving erratically on the way to the casino, Richards said. Investigators recovered videos from the passenger’s cellphone that show the driver — believed by investigators to be Smith — speeding, weaving through traffic, and using the HOV lane and highway shoulder to pass other vehicles. The videos also show the driver running red lights and yelling at other motorists, prosecutors said.
Data recovered from the truck’s event data recorder, often called the “black box,” revealed the Silverado was traveling 70 miles per hour approximately one second before the crash on Alexander Avenue, where the speed limit is 30 miles per hour, according to Richards. The data showed the accelerator pedal was pressed at 99 percent with no braking occurring before impact. Additional data from the truck’s infotainment system revealed Smith reached 125 miles per hour on the Long Island Expressway earlier that morning and hit 117 miles per hour on Route 347 approximately two minutes before the fatal collision.
“The defendant turned the roads of Suffolk County into his own personal raceway,” Richards said during the arraignment. A blood sample drawn from Smith at 6:48 a.m., roughly 40 minutes after the collision, showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.20 percent, according to prosecutors. Police recovered several items from the Silverado pickup truck, including a half-empty bottle of Bacardi rum, a shot glass, rolling papers, a vape device, and a stun gun.
Location & Road Context
The fatal collision occurred on Alexander Avenue in Saint James, a busy north-south corridor in Suffolk County that connects residential areas with major commercial districts. The intersection where Smith ran the red light serves as a critical junction for morning commuters traveling between various Long Island communities. Alexander Avenue in this area is a well-traveled route with a posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour, reflecting its location in a developed suburban area with multiple cross streets and businesses.
The crash happened during the early morning hours when traffic is typically lighter, but the route remains an important connector road for shift workers and early commuters heading to various destinations across Suffolk County.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Smith was indicted on 19 charges total, with the two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide representing the most serious charges in the case. Suffolk County prosecutors built their case using extensive video evidence from multiple sources, including surveillance footage from the James Joyce Bar, Jake’s 58 Casino Hotel, and videos recovered from the passenger’s cellphone. The investigation also utilized technological evidence from the truck’s event data recorder and infotainment system to document Smith’s driving patterns and speeds throughout the morning.
Prosecutors referenced Smith’s prior record during the arraignment, noting a previous domestic incident involving his father in 2022 and multiple traffic violations including speeding and improper use of the HOV lane. Investigators also identified a public Instagram account they believe belongs to Smith that contained videos showing reckless driving behavior. Defense Attorney Anthony LaPinta said the defense reserves Smith’s right to make a future bail application, and Smith’s parents were present in court supporting him during the proceedings.
Broader Impact
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney used the case to highlight the devastating consequences of impaired and reckless driving, describing Officer Espinosa as “a wife, a sister, a daughter, and most importantly, a mother” while calling the outcome “very, very tragic.” The case demonstrates how modern vehicle technology and surveillance systems can provide prosecutors with detailed evidence of a defendant’s actions leading up to a fatal crash, including precise speed data and comprehensive video documentation of impaired behavior at multiple locations throughout the evening.