MINEOLA, N.Y. — A Far Rockaway man has been indicted for manslaughter and multiple intoxicated driving offenses following a high-speed crash in Rockville Centre that killed his 23-year-old passenger, Nassau County prosecutors announced.
Samuel Gutierrez Orozco, 25, was arraigned Tuesday before Judge Joy Watson on a grand jury indictment stemming from the September 17, 2023, crash. He faces charges of second-degree manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, second-degree assault, and several misdemeanor counts related to driving while intoxicated and impaired.
Orozco was remanded and is due back in court on April 21, 2025. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 7 to 15 years in prison.
“The death of Larry Josue Orozco Torrez was completely preventable,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said. “Due to the alleged poor decisions by this defendant, a family is now without a loved one.”
BAC tested at .12%, drugs also detected
According to the charges, Orozco was driving southbound on Peninsula Boulevard at approximately 10:34 p.m. when he lost control of his vehicle at a high rate of speed, crossed the grassy median, and slammed into a tree in the northbound lanes.
A Nassau County Police medic who happened to be driving on the same road was flagged down by a passing motorist and responded to the scene. The medic found the passenger, Larry Josue Orozco Torrez, unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at 10:52 p.m.
Additional police officers arrived and removed Orozco from the vehicle. He was transported to NYU Langone Long Island Hospital and treated for his injuries. A court-authorized blood test later revealed his blood alcohol concentration was approximately 0.12%, about one hour after the crash. The sample also tested positive for marijuana and cocaine.