Driver Who Fatally Hit Brooklyn Dad Charged With Manslaughter: DA

BROOKLYN, NY — The driver in a fatal crash that killed a man unloading groceries just steps from his 6-year-old daughter has been charged with manslaughter, prosecutors announced this week.

Kareem Denton, 21, was arraigned on a 16-count indictment on New Year's Eve for the July crash, when he lost control of his sports car on 39th Street and hit and killed Jose Barrera, prosecutors said Monday.

Denton had been going more than twice the speed limit on a wet road with a forged inspection sticker and worn-out tires at the time of the crash, prosecutors said.

“This horrific crash was no accident — it was a preventable crime that stemmed from reckless behavior before and during the collision," District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. "The defendant chose to drive a car he knew was not safe, allegedly sped on wet road conditions and took the life of a hard-working father."

Barrera, 50, had just returned from the grocery store in his minivan July 11 when Denton, going 60 miles per hour in a 25-mph zone, slammed into him, prosecutors said.

The father had walked his 6-year-old daughter to the curb seconds before the crash. His wife, also injured in the crash, was sitting in the passenger seat of the minivan, prosecutors said.

Investigators discovered that a mechanic had warned Denton that he had dangerously worn-out tires and found that his Nissan 370Z could not pass a New York State inspection. A forged inspection sticker was found on the windshield, they said.

The indictment is the first under Gonzalez's new Street Safety Bureau, which was created over the summer to address "vehicular violence."

Denton's charges include second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, second- and third-degree assault, first-, second- and third-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument. He faces 15 years in prison if convicted of the top count, prosecutors said.