MEDFORD, NY – A 26-year-old Salvadoran national living in Medford has pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide and eight other charges in a drunken-driving crash that killed a 22-year-old passenger and injured two others, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Jefry Valdez Cruz entered the plea on October 16, 2026, before Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard I. Horowitz. He is expected to receive a sentence of four to 12 years in prison when he returns to court on December 2.
The crash occurred on October 6, 2025, after Valdez Cruz and three passengers left a barbecue where he had been drinking, prosecutors said. At approximately 2:53 a.m., he was driving a BMW southbound on Bellport Avenue when he crossed into the northbound lane and struck trees on the opposite side of the road.
Passenger Edgar Guevara Ramos, 22, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. Two other passengers were transported to Stony Brook University Hospital. According to prosecutors, one sustained serious physical injuries.
Vehicle Data Showed 117 MPH Before Impact
Investigators recovered information from the BMW’s event data recorder showing that the vehicle was traveling at 117 mph approximately three seconds before the crash. The posted speed limit was 30 mph.
A blood sample taken at the hospital approximately one hour after the collision showed that Valdez Cruz had a blood alcohol content of 0.14%, above New York’s legal limit of 0.08%, prosecutors said.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said the case illustrated the deadly consequences of impaired driving and reiterated his office’s commitment to holding intoxicated drivers accountable.
Guilty Plea Covers All Nine Charges
Valdez Cruz pleaded guilty to every count in the indictment: aggravated vehicular homicide, second-degree manslaughter, second-degree vehicular manslaughter, second-degree assault, second-degree vehicular assault, third-degree assault, two counts of driving while intoxicated and reckless driving.
The most serious charge, aggravated vehicular homicide, is a class B felony.
Valdez Cruz, a citizen of El Salvador living in Medford, is represented by attorney Vincent Bianco. According to the district attorney’s office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged a detainer seeking to take him into custody after he completes his prison sentence.
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