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Prosecutors: Matthew Smith, 20, drove up to 125 mph and was recorded drinking in Patchogue hours before the deadly crash
The young Hauppauge man accused of driving drunk in the crash that killed Nassau Police Officer Patricia Espinosa pleaded not guilty Friday in Suffolk County.
Pushed into Suffolk’s First District Court in Central Islip in a wheelchair, 20-year-old Matthew Smith, was arraigned in connection with the early morning Jan. 31 collision in St. James that took the 42-year-old mother’s life as she was driving to work. His bail was set at $1 million.
Smith, whose parents were in the courtroom for the proceeding, as well as Espinosa’s husband Francisco Malaga and numerous other relatives, had been wheeled out of the Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct on a stretcher and taken by ambulance to court due to the leg injury he sustained in the crash.
Prosecutors allege Smith was drunk when he blew through a red light at the intersection of Alexander Avenue and Route 347 just after 6 a.m., smashing into Espinosa’s Alpha Romero.
Espinosa was rushed to Stony Brook University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Smith and the friend he was driving with were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said.
Court documents filed by the district attorney’s office allege that Smith and his passenger, John Andali, 25, of Centereach, spent the hours leading up to the crash drinking and speeding between locations in Suffolk County.
Prosecutors say the underage Smith was recorded on surveillance video drinking alcohol at James Joyce Pub in Patchogue earlier in the night and that the two friends later tried to go to Jake’s 58 Casino Hotel, but were unable to enter because it had closed.
Hit speeds up to 125 mph
The bail application said further that an examination of Smith’s truck’s Infotainment system revealed that as the defendant reached a speed of 125 mph as he drove from Patchogue to Jake’s 58.
Furthermore, the tracking system showed that after leaving Jake’s 58, he reached 117 mph in his truck, prosecutors said.
Additionally, investigators found a bottle of Bacardi rum, a shot glass, rolling papers, a vape and a stun gun inside Smith’s truck, prosecutors said.
The district attorney’s bail application states Smith ultimately sped through a steady red light at a high rate of speed at the time of the collision.
Prosecutors said toxicology testing later revealed Smith had a blood alcohol concentration of .20 percent, based on a sample taken about 40 minutes after the crash. The application also notes that Smith was under the legal drinking age at the time.
DA comments on tragic loss, case
Andali was also injured in the crash and taken to Stony Brook University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, prosecutors said.
In a statement released Friday, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney noted how Espinosa’s death has been felt deeply throughout the law enforcement community.
“Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the tragic loss of Officer Espinoza, a dedicated law enforcement officer from Nassau County,” Tierney said. “Although she served a neighboring community, she lived in Suffolk with her family and her death is felt deeply here. The law enforcement family is a shared one, and when we lose an officer, we all grieve together.”
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Tierney said Espinosa “committed her life to protecting others,” adding that her “courage, professionalism, and sacrifice will not be forgotten.”
He said his office is committed to honoring her life and service by pursuing justice “with the seriousness and integrity this case demands.”
Prosecutors requested bail be set at $1 million cash, $2 million bond, or $5 million partially secured bond, citing the severity of the allegations, the fatality, and what they described as a risk of flight. They also requested that Smith’s driver’s license be suspended pending prosecution.
Defense: ‘not the time’ to address allegations
Smith’s attorney said outside court that he will “move forward on Matthew’s behalf in a respectful, sensitive and dignified manner.”
“In the face of this monumental tragedy with shattered emotions, the need for the commitment to principles of fairness in this legal process is imperative,” he said. “There will come a time to address these allegations and circumstances in more detail. Now is not that time.
“This is a horrible tragedy. that has affected our entire community. There are broken hearts on both sides of the courtroom,” LaPinta continued. “There are two families that have been devastated and a 20-year-old man who’s facing very serious charges. I ask you all to allow this process to evolve — one careful step at a time.”
Espinosa’s funeral services were held Thursday in Smithtown, drawing a large law-enforcement presence from across Long Island and beyond. She is survived by her husband, also a Nassau County police officer, their young daughter, and extended family members.
Top: Nassau Police Officer Patricia Espinosa marching in a parade in New York City (Nassau PBA/Facebook) and defendant Matthew Smith of Hauppauge (Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office).
