A 36-year-old man has been charged with multiple counts of reckless driving, pedestrian safety, and negligence after he was involved in a fatal crash that killed a construction worker on the Washington Bridge over the Harlem River last year.
According to authorities, Jesus Juarez was behind the wheel of his Dodge Durango SUV when he failed to exercise due care while changing lanes around 10:30 p.m. on August 2, 2024. His vehicle collided with another SUV, swerved back into the right lane, and struck a parked construction truck, killing 41-year-old Herb Henry Alesna, a Maspeth resident who was standing alongside the truck.
Miraculously, neither Juarez nor the driver of the other SUV were injured in the crash. However, Juarez initially failed to turn himself in to police when they first requested his cooperation over a year ago. He eventually surrendered on Tuesday morning at the 5th Precinct station house with his lawyer by his side.
Court records indicate that Juarez was granted supervised release pending his next court date after appearing before a judge in Manhattan. His defense attorney, Julie Rendelman, claimed that her client remained at the scene of the accident and is "truly heartbroken" over what happened.
Juarez lives just one and a half miles away from where the crash occurred on the Washington Bridge. The NYPD has now charged him with reckless driving, failing to yield to pedestrians, and neglecting his duty of care.
According to authorities, Jesus Juarez was behind the wheel of his Dodge Durango SUV when he failed to exercise due care while changing lanes around 10:30 p.m. on August 2, 2024. His vehicle collided with another SUV, swerved back into the right lane, and struck a parked construction truck, killing 41-year-old Herb Henry Alesna, a Maspeth resident who was standing alongside the truck.
Miraculously, neither Juarez nor the driver of the other SUV were injured in the crash. However, Juarez initially failed to turn himself in to police when they first requested his cooperation over a year ago. He eventually surrendered on Tuesday morning at the 5th Precinct station house with his lawyer by his side.
Court records indicate that Juarez was granted supervised release pending his next court date after appearing before a judge in Manhattan. His defense attorney, Julie Rendelman, claimed that her client remained at the scene of the accident and is "truly heartbroken" over what happened.
Juarez lives just one and a half miles away from where the crash occurred on the Washington Bridge. The NYPD has now charged him with reckless driving, failing to yield to pedestrians, and neglecting his duty of care.
. I mean, you'd think that at least someone would notice he was avoiding the police, especially since the accident happened on his doorstep and he lives just one and a half miles away from where it went down 
. It's also weird that he claims to be "truly heartbroken" over what happened, but then he waited an entire year to face justice 
. I guess you never really know people until they've made choices like this, though...
. A near-miss for the drivers involved was only due to a fortunate lack of fatalities on that fateful evening. The negligence displayed by Jesus Juarez is, unfortunately, a sobering reminder of human fallibility and the importance of responsible behavior behind the wheel 
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. It's also puzzling that Juarez was granted supervised release despite his egregious actions, highlighting potential issues with the justice system's ability to balance rehabilitation with punishment 
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. I mean, what's the point of having a lawyer if you're just gonna wait an entire year to turn yourself in? 
It's not like it's the end of the world, but still... 41 is way too young to go out. The NYPD is doing their job, though - at least they're making sure that reckless drivers face consequences 
he was supposed to be more careful tho 
it's crazy he tried to hide from cops for a year 
and now he's facing charges 
hopefully he gets a good lawyer who'll help him take responsibility 
the most important thing is that his actions didn't hurt more people 
I'm trying to get my head around why he didn't just do the right thing and report it ASAP. It's not like it would've been hard for him to go back to the scene of the crime or try to help the police find witnesses 
41-year-old Herb Henry Alesna didn't deserve to die like that. 
i just can't believe juarez wasn't even trying to be more careful while changing lanes lol who does that?! 
dodgers should've seen this coming tho, they're always trying to be so flashy on the road 
I'm so sorry for Herb Henry Alesna's family and loved ones... 41 yrs old lost his life in a tragic accident 
. Thankfully, no one else got seriously hurt but it could've been worse. I hope justice is served and his license gets revoked forever 
And what's with the "truly heartbroken" line from his lawyer? seems like a pretty convenient way to spin things 
hopefully justice will be served and maybe some kinda punishment for his reckless driving 
that construction truck was just standing there doing nothing and now he's paying the price 
It's just common sense, dude! And then you fail to turn yourself in when they asked you over a year ago... what kind of person does that? 
It's not right.
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i mean what if it was his family or a friend who got hurt instead of some construction worker? 41 is still pretty young... 
supervised release pending next court date doesn't cut it for me