Carnage

Driver Pleads to Manslaughter for Killing Washington Heights Pedestrian

At around 4:15 a.m. on January 30, Jonatan Segura was driving a BMW sedan on 181st Street near Amsterdam Avenue when he hit a pickup truck and struck Jorge Encarnacion and an unidentified 46-year-old woman.

By Brad Aaron

12:22 PM EDT on May 4, 2017

Driver Pleads to Manslaughter for Killing Washington Heights Pedestrian

Jonatan Segura hit two people at 181st Street and Amsterdam Avenue in January 2016, killing Jorge Encarnacion. Image: Google Maps

A drunk hit-and-run driver who hit two people in Washington Heights in 2016, killing Jorge Encarnacion, has pled guilty to manslaughter.

At around 4:15 a.m. on January 30, Jonatan Segura, then 34, was driving a BMW sedan on 181st Street near Amsterdam Avenue when he hit a pickup truck and struck Encarnacion and an unidentified 46-year-old woman.

Signs of a high-speed collision were evident at the crash site. Photos published by the Daily News show the BMW, a racing sticker affixed to the back window, with extensive damage to the front end and windshield. The crash caused the airbags in the pickup truck to deploy.

Segura fled the scene and later turned himself in to police, according to the News.

Encarnacion, 46, died at Lincoln Hospital. The other pedestrian victim was hospitalized.

Segura was charged with manslaughter, two counts of assault, homicide, leaving the scene, and drunk driving — all felonies — in addition to misdemeanor assault and misdemeanor leaving the scene. He pled guilty to all charges last month, according to court records.

Manslaughter, the top charge against Segura, is a class C felony with penalties ranging from probation to 15 years in prison. Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance’s office recommended Segura be sentenced to five to 15 years. The judge promised him a sentence of four to 12 years, according to Vance’s office.

Segura’s sentencing hearing is set for later this month.

Brad Aaron

Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York's dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.

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