A Cypress Hills man who killed a cyclist in a 2021 hit-and-run was sentenced to prison on Tuesday.
Julio Sandoval, 34, will spend three to six years behind bars after pleading guilty to second-degree manslaughter, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
On Oct. 15, 2021, Sandoval, driving a sedan, blew through a red light at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Essex Street in Cypress Hills. He was driving 47 miles per hour, per the DA’s office, nearly twice the legal speed limit.
He struck 56-year-old Jose Ramos, who was riding his bike across Atlantic Avenue in the crosswalk on his way home from work. The impact sent Ramos and the bike flying, but Sandoval did not stop the car.
Ramos’ wife, Martha, was only a few steps behind him when the crash occurred. Ramos, who was deaf, had reportedly called Martha and asked her to walk home with him after a late-night shift because he was fearful of walking alone on the infamously-dangerous Atlantic Avenue, his family told both Streetsblog and the Daily News at the time.
Police found Ramos unconscious and unresponsive on the pavement, and he was rushed to Interfaith Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead from severe blunt force trauma to the head, neck and body.
Sandoval remained on the lam for over a year, and was arrested in January 2023 after a police investigation.
“This defendant showed a callous disregard for public safety by choosing to speed and run a red light, taking the life of a cyclist,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “Today’s sentence holds him accountable for his reckless actions and reflects our commitment to keeping Brooklyn’s streets safe for all.”
Prosecutors originally hit Sandoval with a litany of charges including criminally negligent homicide, reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, reckless driving, and speeding, court records show.
Sandoval and the DA’s office reached a plea deal wherein Sandoval pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree manslaughter.
The crash came a year after the city completed its “Great Street” project on a long section of Atlantic Avenue from Pennsylvania Avenue to Logan Street. The project was meant to calm traffic and make the street safer. Still, since March 2021, there have been six crashes at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Essex Street, including the one that killed Ramos. At least 11 other people have been injured at the intersection, according to NYC Crash Mapper, including ten drivers and one pedestrian.
