Death of Cathy Garcia: Driver who killed DOC employee in hit-and-run charged with manslaughter
THE BRONX, NEW YORK CITY: After three suspects were arrested in the fatal hit-and-run of a 69-year-old Department of Correction employee, Cathy Garcia, outside Yankee Stadium on August 25, the driver, Carlos Hernandez, 24, has now been charged with manslaughter and held on $20,000 bail on August 27.
According to NY Post, Garcia, who is a member of the Applicant Investigation Unit, was headed to work in her Mitsubishi Outlander, when a BMW X6, sped by Hernandez, ran a red light at the intersection of River Avenue and East 161st Street and slammed into her vehicle. Hernandez and two others, Edwin Amparo, 29, and Atahualda Rodriguez, 28, fled the scene immediately at around 5.15 am. Later, Garcia was rushed to Lincoln Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. And the three left their car and fled the scene, leaving behind 12 stolen catalytic converters in the trunk, as per Audacy. A report by ABC suggests that "catalytic converter theft teams work in groups of three, as removing the catalytic converter is a two-man job, with the third serving as a lookout and getaway driver."
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Three suspects surrender
On August 26, the three suspects, who have no criminal records, surrendered themselves to the police where police charged Hernandez with reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, and possession of the stolen property. Amparo and Rodriguez were charged with possession of stolen property and possession of burglar tools charges, as per NY Post. And now, Hernandez has been charged with manslaughter and is held on $20,000. Prosecutors originally demanded $150,000 bail for Hernandez, but Judge Lisa Headley rejected the request. Hernandez is now due in court on September 6.
Talking about Garcia's death, Department of Correction Commissioner Louis Molina said in a statement, as quoted by NY Post, "We are heartbroken to learn that a member of our DOC family was tragically taken from us. Our thoughts and prayers are with Ms Garcia’s loved ones as we mourn the loss of our colleague.” Garcia's son-in-law Jamel Wright said that she assisted new employees in the agency’s medical department. He said, "It’s devastating to get a call that the person that you truly love and admire and respect, you know, the leader of our families [was] killed in a horrific car accident, and then the people ran off. [She was] a wonderful woman, … the life of the party, great grandmother, great friend."