FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, July 28, 2022
Brooklyn Driver Sentenced to 3 to 6 Years in Prison for Running Red Light
And Fatally Striking a Deliveryman in Borough Park
Defendant Pleaded Guilty to Manslaughter in June
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Flatbush man has been sentenced to 3 to 6 years in prison following his guilty plea to manslaughter for fatally striking a deliveryman in Borough Park in 2020.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant’s recklessness behind the wheel tragically took the life of a hardworking husband and father. He has now been held accountable for his actions. I am committed to keeping Brooklyn’s roads safe for all people.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Valdez Heron, 31, of Flatbush, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice John Hecht to 3 to 6 years in prison. The defendant pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter on June 6, 2022.
The District Attorney said that, on October 18, 2020, at about 11:50 a.m., the defendant was driving a 2015 Dodge Charger eastbound on 46th Street towards 9th Avenue when he ran a steady red light, striking deliveryman, Xiang Wu, 43, as he rode a Yamaha SMAX scooter through the intersection. The force of the impact sent the victim over the hood of the Dodge Charger and onto the pavement.
The defendant then jumped out of the Dodge Charger while the car was still in drive, according to the investigation, and the Dodge Charger rolled down the street, striking a parked car before coming to a stop. The defendant was arrested at the scene. The victim was taken in critical condition to Maimonides Medical Center where he underwent multiple surgeries. On November 25, 2020, the victim was transferred to the Bedford Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation. On December 21, 2020, the victim was found unresponsive and transferred to Woodhull Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The Office of the New York Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be complications of multiple blunt force injuries.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Roman Galper, of the District Attorney’s Violent Criminal Enterprises Bureau, and Assistant District Attorney Jacob Uriel, Deputy Unit Chief of the District Attorney’s Street Safety Bureau.
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