District Attorney Details Charges Facing Fatal Woodmere Crash Driver

WOODMERE, NY — Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly announced charges Friday for the 24-year-old driver involved in a car crash in Woodmere that left a 39-year-old man dead; the driver had been arrested Thursday by Nassau County police.

Donnelly first announced that the driver, 24-year-old East Rockaway resident Brayan Romero Flores, was charged with second-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault, criminally negligent homicide and reckless driving, to all of which he pleaded not guilty.

According to the district attorney’s office, Flores was driving 81 miles per hour in the moments before the crash, with his accelerator at 99 percent just five seconds before his Honda Accord made contact with a Tesla Model 3 that was carrying 39-year-old Michael Kreindler and his 10-year-old son.

Both cars were severely damaged in the crash and all three occupants were hospitalized — Kreindler with serious injuries, his son and Flores with minor ones — prosecutors said. Kreindler’s son and Flores were both released after receiving treatment for their injuries, while Kreindler remained in the hospital on life support until April 7, prosecutors said, at which point he was pronounced dead.

In the aftermath of the crash, prosecutors said dash camera footage showed Flores running a red light five minutes before the crash and driving 77 miles per hour. Flores was arrested May 28, prosecutors said.

“This defendant’s actions shattered a family during a morning routine that many of us can relate to. A father was driving his 10-year-old son to school when he was blindsided by the defendant, who allegedly barreled into the victim’s car at more than double the speed limit after previously running a red light,” Donnelly said. “After weeks in the hospital fighting for his life, Michael tragically died from his injuries. We will seek justice for his family as we prosecute the defendant to the fullest extent of the law.”

If found guilty, Flores could face seven to 15 years in prison, prosecutors said. Flores’ attorney, Jenna Spelke, declined to comment on the case Monday.