Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a West Hempstead man was convicted of aggravated vehicular homicide and other charges yesterday for a December 2021 crash on Peninsula Boulevard in Woodmere that killed a teenage passenger and seriously injured the victim driver.
Arlin Aguilera, 37, was convicted Wednesday after a jury trial by Judge Robert A. Schwartz of Aggravated Vehicular Homicide (a B felony); Manslaughter in the Second Degree (a C felony); two counts of Assault in the Second Degree (a D felony); two counts of Assault in the Third Degree (an A misdemeanor); and two counts of Driving While Intoxicated (an Unclassified Misdemeanor).
The trial started on August 12, 2024, and the jury deliberated for less than one hour before delivering their verdict. The defendant is due back in court for sentencing on October 4, 2024, and faces up to 25 years in prison.
“Fifteen-year-old Liel Namdar was a typical teenager, enjoying a long-awaited reunion with her friends from summer camp on that December night. The girls had planned a sleepover and were being driven to one of their homes to continue the fun when they were broadsided by a drunk and speeding Arlin Aguilera. The crash killed Liel, seriously injured the driver, and forever altered the lives of the surviving teenage girls who endured this tragedy,” said DA Donnelly. “Every day we place our trust in our fellow drivers when we get behind the wheel of a car or clip our children into the backseat. This defendant betrayed that trust with fatal and irreparable consequences. Our thoughts remain with Liel’s family as they mourn her tragic loss, and we will continue to hold drunk drivers accountable for their irresponsible actions that endanger our roadways.”
DA Donnelly said that on December 11, 2021, at approximately 10:54 p.m., the defendant was driving while intoxicated and at a high rate of speed in a 2014 RAM 1500 pickup truck northbound on Peninsula Boulevard.
Aguilera then crashed into an Audi Q5 as it made a turn in front of the defendant’s vehicle from Edward Avenue into the southbound lanes of Peninsula Boulevard.
Fifteen-year-old Liel Namdar suffered severe head trauma and was killed in the collision. The victim driver was seriously injured, suffering a severe traumatic brain injury, clavicle fracture and jaw fracture.
Three additional teenage passengers in the Audi also sustained various injuries.
The defendant was arrested in Woodmere on December 12, 2021, by members of the Nassau County Police Department.
Deputy Chief Stephanie Dellinger and Senior Assistant District Attorney Brianna Ryan of the Vehicular Crimes Bureau are prosecuting the case under the supervision of Bureau Chief Michael Bushwack and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for the Litigation Division Kevin Higgins. The defendant is represented by Mitchell Elman, Esq. and Jason Krinsky, Esq.