Driver Pleads Guilty in Fatal First Avenue Chain Reaction
At 3:42 p.m. on July 29, 2024, an official record shows a fatal pedestrian crash at First Avenue and East 105 Street; prosecutors said Angel Melendez went through a red light and caused the chain reaction in which 51-year-old Nadjari Reid was killed.
What We Know
On July 29, 2024, police recorded a fatal pedestrian crash at First Avenue and East 105 Street in Manhattan. Prosecutors said Angel Melendez drove a white Mercedes-Benz north on First Avenue, weaving at high speed before going through a red light at East 105 Street and hitting parked vehicles. Nadjari Reid, 51, was standing between two parked cars and was fatally injured in the chain reaction, prosecutors said. The official record lists one pedestrian killed and three people injured, including one other pedestrian. Patch later reported that Melendez pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, third-degree assault and second-degree reckless endangerment.
Prosecutors described a high-speed run up First Avenue
Prosecutors said Angel Melendez was driving a white Mercedes-Benz on First Avenue around 3:40 p.m., speeding and weaving between lanes from East 96th Street toward East 105th Street. They said he swerved around cars and pedestrians and hit a woman's shopping cart before reaching the northwest corner of First Avenue and East 105th Street.
At East 105th Street, prosecutors said Melendez went through a steady red light and hit a parked motorcycle and a parked car. The chain reaction reached the parked cars between which Nadjari Reid was standing, and Reid was fatally injured.
A fatal crash on a heavily injured First Avenue corridor
The crash was recorded at First Avenue and East 105 Street in Manhattan. CrashCountNYC's corridor context for 1st Avenue in Manhattan shows 2,522 crashes, 1,527 injuries, 137 serious injuries and 12 deaths from the start of 2022 through June 1, 2026.
Nadjari Reid was standing between parked cars
The official record identifies the person killed as a 51-year-old male pedestrian. Prosecutors identified him as Nadjari Reid and said he was standing between two parked cars when the chain reaction reached him.
The official record lists three people injured in addition to Reid's death: one pedestrian and two motorists. Prosecutors said another pedestrian was injured and survived, and that Melendez's 14-year-old son was in the Mercedes-Benz at the time.
Official entries list a Mercedes and parked vehicles
Detailed official vehicle entries list a northbound 2007 Mercedes sedan that was changing lanes, along with a parked motorcycle, SUV, box truck and sedan. Prosecutors described Melendez as the Mercedes-Benz driver and said he hit a parked motorcycle and car at East 105th Street.
Alcohol, speed and reckless driving were central to the case
The official crash record lists alcohol involvement as a contributing factor, and the detailed entry for the Mercedes sedan lists alcohol involvement and unsafe speed. Prosecutors accused Melendez of extremely reckless driving and said he sped, weaved through traffic and went through a red light before the fatal chain reaction.
The criminal case moved from indictment to guilty plea
In September 2024, prosecutors announced an indictment charging Melendez with second-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault, third-degree assault, second-degree reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child. Patch later reported that he pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, third-degree assault and second-degree reckless endangerment, with sentencing expected on Feb. 24.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said after the plea, "This type of reckless driving — swerving in and out of traffic lines at high speeds — can have deadly consequences."