FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
BMW Driver Who Allegedly Hit Two People
While Driving Drunk in Bed-Stuy Indicted for Vehicular Assault
Pedestrian and Cyclist Struck in Crosswalk
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Manhattan woman has been arraigned on an indictment in which she is charged with vehicular assault after she allegedly hit two people with her BMW while driving drunk in Bedford-Stuyvesant in November.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant made a terrible decision to allegedly get behind the wheel of a car after drinking alcohol. Her recklessness, as well as her complete disregard for the safety of our roadways, resulted in injuries to two people. My office is committed to keeping Brooklyn streets safe and we will now seek to hold this defendant accountable.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Crystal DeJesus, 20, of Manhattan Valley, Manhattan. She was arraigned today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Herbert J. Moses on an indictment in which she is charged with two counts of second-degree vehicular assault; excessive speed; two counts of operating a motor vehicle under the influence; second-degree reckless endangerment; and reckless driving. The defendant was ordered to return to court on April 24, 2024.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on November 5, 2023, at approximately 11:50 p.m., the defendant was driving a 2010 BMW 328i westbound on Halsey Street near Tompkins Avenue when she struck a pedestrian and a cyclist in the crosswalk. The pedestrian, a 19-year-old woman, suffered massive head trauma; while the cyclist, a 32-year-old man, suffered injuries to the leg, knee, foot, and shoulder.
Furthermore, according to the investigation, when police officers arrived at the scene, they allegedly observed that the defendant had watery eyes and a strong odor of alcohol on her breath. The defendant was administered a breathalyzer test, which showed the defendant had a blood alcohol level of .12, greater than the legal limit of .08.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Steven Bravo and Christopher Dunne of the District Attorney’s Blue Zone Trial Bureau, under the supervision of Kin Ng, Bureau Chief.
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An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.