Driver Indicted on More Serious Charges After DA's Investigation
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment and arraignment of JESSICA ALTRUZ, 24, in Manhattan Supreme Court on one count each of Manslaughter in the Second Degree and Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting [1] in connection with the death of a pedestrian on the Upper West Side last November.
“The defendant’s reckless driving ended the remarkable life of a retired nurse who, on the day after Thanksgiving, was doing nothing more than walking home with her groceries,” said District Attorney Vance. “Importantly, New Yorkers who provided eyewitness accounts of the crash to our Vehicular Crimes Unit were instrumental in helping the Office obtain an indictment on more serious charges than at the time of the defendant’s arrest. We are extremely grateful that they came forward to provide critical evidence.”
According to documents filed in court, on November 26, 2010, at approximately 3 p.m., ALTRUZ was observed driving her white Dodge Charger westbound on West 93rd Street toward Columbus Avenue at a high rate of speed. The traffic light at the intersection of West 93rd Street and Columbus Avenue had already turned yellow before the defendant sped through it, striking a pedestrian on the west side of Columbus Avenue at West 93rd Street. ALTRUZ was observed honking her vehicle’s horn at the victim, Margaret Fisher, before striking her. The force of the impact caused Fisher to fly through the air, and she was found lying unconscious in the street, approximately 70 feet from the location where she was struck. Fisher was pronounced dead at St. Luke’s Hospital.
According to documents filed in court and surveillance video obtained by the District Attorney’s Office, the vehicle driven by the defendant did not stop following the collision. Instead, ALTRUZ’s Dodge Charger came to a stop a full avenue away, at West 93rd Street and Amsterdam Avenue, after a motorist ahead of ALTRUZ stopped at a red light, thereby forcing the defendant’s vehicle to halt. Additional good Samaritans, including a witness who chased ALTRUZ’s vehicle down the block on foot, ensured that the defendant remained near the scene until police arrived. Multiple passengers were in ALTRUZ’s car at the time of the incident, but all fled on foot.
Assistant District Attorneys Jordan Arnold and Megan Joy are handling the prosecution of this case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney William Mahoney, Chief of Trial Bureau 60; Assistant District Attorneys Jill Hoexter and John Wolfstaetter, Co-Chiefs of the Vehicular Crimes Unit; and Executive Assistant District Attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Chief of the Trial Division.
Defendant Information:
JESSICA ALTRUZ, D.O.B. 10/21/1986
Bronx, NY
Charge:
Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a class C felony one count
Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting, a class D felony, one count
A class C felony is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a class D felony is punishable by up to 7 years in prison.
[1] The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictment and arraignment of JESSICA ALTRUZ, 24, in Manhattan Supreme Court on one count each of Manslaughter in the Second Degree and Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting [1] in connection with the death of a pedestrian on the Upper West Side last November.
“The defendant’s reckless driving ended the remarkable life of a retired nurse who, on the day after Thanksgiving, was doing nothing more than walking home with her groceries,” said District Attorney Vance. “Importantly, New Yorkers who provided eyewitness accounts of the crash to our Vehicular Crimes Unit were instrumental in helping the Office obtain an indictment on more serious charges than at the time of the defendant’s arrest. We are extremely grateful that they came forward to provide critical evidence.”
According to documents filed in court, on November 26, 2010, at approximately 3 p.m., ALTRUZ was observed driving her white Dodge Charger westbound on West 93rd Street toward Columbus Avenue at a high rate of speed. The traffic light at the intersection of West 93rd Street and Columbus Avenue had already turned yellow before the defendant sped through it, striking a pedestrian on the west side of Columbus Avenue at West 93rd Street. ALTRUZ was observed honking her vehicle’s horn at the victim, Margaret Fisher, before striking her. The force of the impact caused Fisher to fly through the air, and she was found lying unconscious in the street, approximately 70 feet from the location where she was struck. Fisher was pronounced dead at St. Luke’s Hospital.
According to documents filed in court and surveillance video obtained by the District Attorney’s Office, the vehicle driven by the defendant did not stop following the collision. Instead, ALTRUZ’s Dodge Charger came to a stop a full avenue away, at West 93rd Street and Amsterdam Avenue, after a motorist ahead of ALTRUZ stopped at a red light, thereby forcing the defendant’s vehicle to halt. Additional good Samaritans, including a witness who chased ALTRUZ’s vehicle down the block on foot, ensured that the defendant remained near the scene until police arrived. Multiple passengers were in ALTRUZ’s car at the time of the incident, but all fled on foot.
Assistant District Attorneys Jordan Arnold and Megan Joy are handling the prosecution of this case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney William Mahoney, Chief of Trial Bureau 60; Assistant District Attorneys Jill Hoexter and John Wolfstaetter, Co-Chiefs of the Vehicular Crimes Unit; and Executive Assistant District Attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Chief of the Trial Division.
Defendant Information:
JESSICA ALTRUZ, D.O.B. 10/21/1986
Bronx, NY
Charge:
Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a class C felony one count
Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting, a class D felony, one count
A class C felony is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a class D felony is punishable by up to 7 years in prison.
[1] The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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