FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Driver Sentenced to 3 to 6 Years in Prison for Running Red Light and Causing Collision that Killed Senior Citizen Crossing Street
Defended Pleaded Guilty to Second-Degree Manslaughter
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Brooklyn man has been sentenced to three to six years in prison following his guilty plea to manslaughter for speeding through a red light in his Cadillac SUV and causing a collision that killed a 65-year-old pedestrian.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant’s reckless and selfish actions robbed an innocent man of his life and devastated a family that will forever mourn this senseless tragedy. No one should have to fear for their life while crossing the street. My heart is with the family of Jun Jin Yang as they continue to grieve their unimaginable loss. I remain steadfast in my commitment to holding reckless drivers accountable and making Brooklyn’s streets safer for all.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Isidro Rodriguez, 38, of Homecrest, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice John Hecht to three to six years in prison. The defendant pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter on November 12, 2024.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on May 30, 2022, at approximately 10:18 a.m., the defendant was driving a 2020 Cadillac Escalade north on West 1st Street in Gravesend when he sped through a red light and t-boned a 2016 Hyundai Sonata ride-share vehicle traveling east on Avenue P. The impact of the collision sent the Cadillac spinning toward a 65-year-old man who was crossing the street. The victim, Jun Jin Yang, attempted to move out of the way, but was instead pinned between the Cadillac and another vehicle.
Yang was taken to Maimonides Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
The 32-year-old driver of the Uber was treated at Lutheran Hospital for minor injuries. Two passengers, a 29-year-old woman and her 2-year-old daughter, also suffered minor injuries and were treated at New York Community Hospital.
Data from the black box of the defendant’s Cadillac was recovered by the NYPD. According to the investigation, the box showed the defendant accelerating to 42 m.p.h. in the 25 m.p.h. zone seconds before the crash. The defendant did not deploy his brakes.
The defendant was arrested on July 20, 2022, following an investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Matthew Barg, of the District Attorney’s Orange Zone Trial Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Michael Trabulsi, Deputy Chief of the Orange Zone, Assistant District Attorney Danielle Eaddy, Bureau Chief, and Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Nocella, Chief of the Street Safety Bureau.
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