A Long Island man who was recording himself driving 121 mph before a deadly car crash has been charged with manslaughter, authorities announced Thursday.
Felix Pantaleon, 22, was behind the wheel of a 2014 Honda Civic when he struck a 2009 Honda CRV on Sept. 22 on the Southern State Parkway in Babylon, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said in a press release.
The driver of the CRV, 49-year-old Reynaldo Collado, was killed in the crash. Four passengers in the CRV were injured, including one who is still living in a rehab facility, according to the district attorney’s office.
Prior to the wreck, Pantaleon was weaving through traffic, cutting off other vehicles and hitting speeds as high as 121 mph, all while recording himself on his cellphone, authorities said.
“We deserve safe roadways,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said. “My office will seek to hold this defendant accountable for his alleged deadly choices and the death of Mr. Collado.”
Pantaleon rear-ended Collado’s vehicle in the crash, sending it off the road and into the woods along the right side of the highway, according to investigators. Pantaleon initially hit the median barrier before also careening into the woods.
Charges against Pantaleon include one count of second-degree manslaughter, one count of second-degree assault, three counts of third-degree assault and one count of second-degree reckless endangerment. The first two charges are felonies.