Suspect In Brooklyn Hit-And-Run Charged With Vehicular Manslaughter, Criminally Negligent Homicide
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A suspect arrested in Pennsylvania in connection with a gruesome car crash that killed a pregnant Brooklyn woman, her husband and ultimately their newborn son was officially charged Thursday.
Julio Acevedo was taken to a Brooklyn police precinct after waiving extradition in Pennsylvania.
Acevedo was charged with one count of vehicular manslaughter, one count of causing death to a child passenger, three counts of leaving the scene of an accident and three counts of criminally negligent homicide.
Acevedo was escorted by a heavy police presence as he left the 78th precinct in Park Slope on his way to Brooklyn Criminal Court, where he was in the process of being arraigned late Thursday night, CBS 2's Steve Langford reported.
At an appearance in Pennsylvania, Acevedo told the judge he had finished the 11th grade, was unemployed and that he lives in Brooklyn. He wore an orange jump suit and was shackled at the ankles and wrists.
Acevedo surrendered to police in a Bethlehem convenience store parking lot on Wednesday and ordered held without bail on a charge of being a fugitive from justice. His surrender was brokered by a friend.
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Police met the friend, Derrick Hamilton, at Grand Central Terminal earlier Wednesday and drove together to Pennsylvania for the surrender. Hamilton will not be charged with a crime, police said.
Under the agreement facilitated by Hamilton, Acevedo was waiting for detectives and had been given a description of the unmarked cars they would be in. As he approached one of the vehicles, officers got out and arrested him on potential charges of leaving the scene of a vehicular accident, police said.
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Acevedo was handcuffed and made no statements as he was placed in the rear of one of the police squad cars. The officers sent to the scene included members of the Brooklyn North Violent Felony Squad and the Regional Fugitive Task Force, which included a U.S. Marshal, police said.
Acevedo was going at least 60 mph early Sunday morning when a BMW he was driving collided with a livery cab carrying Nachman and Raizy Glauber at Kent Avenue and Wilson Street in Williamsburg, police said.
Acevedo then fled the scene, police said.
Raizy Glauber's brother expressed gratitude to the NYPD for their work in apprehending Acevedo.
"They did a fabulous job. They were truly committed to it and we have to express our appreciation to them," Joseph Silverstein told CBS 2's Amy Dardashtian.
The crash with the BMW reduced the livery cab to a crumpled heap and Raizy Glauber was thrown from it. The driver of the cab, Pedro Nunez, was knocked unconscious. On Thursday, speaking with his arm in a sling, he said his heart is broken for the families of the dead passengers.
"I was very sad because when I'm looking around my home, I see my three kids running around and that comes to my mind. I'm thinking about another family, how they can feel about the accident," Nunez told CBS 2's Tony Aiello.
Both Nachman and Raizy Glauber were killed. Their premature son, who was delivered by emergency Cesarean section after the crash, died on Monday.
"I personally, and the rest of the City of New York – whoever witnessed and felt what the family did – hope and pray this was the last shining day that Julio Acevedo saw as a free man," said family spokesman Isaac Abraham. "I could tell him rot in hell or rot in jail before you go to hell."
Acevedo has said he was fleeing a gunman when his borrowed BMW slammed into the livery cab. He told the Daily News he fled because he was afraid he'd be killed.
But police said there were no reports of shots fired in the area around that time. Authorities said that Acevedo was joyriding before the accident.
Earlier, Abraham called on prosecutors to charge Acevedo with three counts of murder.
"Because he left the scene of an accident, there's no specific law of penalty or serving time for leaving the scene of an accident. But in this particular case, we're asking that he be charged with homicide — triple homicide, even of the infant," he said.
Friends said the Glaubers had modest dreams of having their own family. On his wedding day, friends said Nachman Glauber wrote a letter to his parents that said:
"All the education and values you taught me, I'll, with God's help, take along with me in my new home....I pray to God that daddy and mommy should see lots of pride and delight from me and my special bride."
But for many in the community, Acevedo's capture Wednesday did little to ease their pain.
"This world is missing a wonderful human being, a beloved sister and daughter," said Silverstein. "Only God can ease our pain."
Acevedo was arrested last month on a charge of driving while under the influence and the case is pending. He was stopped by police after they said he was driving erratically around 3 a.m. Feb. 17. He had a blood-alcohol level of .13, over the limit of .08, police said.
He was convicted of manslaughter in 1987, along with drug and robbery charges. After serving 10 years, he was sent back to jail for a parole violation and then released in 1999.
How Acevedo came to possess the BMW is under investigation. The registered owner was arrested Sunday on insurance fraud charges related to the vehicle, but the case was deferred.
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