By Nathan Duke
Joseph Cajuste, of 3305 West Lake Place in Miramar, Fla., was killed during the accident, which took place at 5:45 a.m. Sunday at Guy R. Brewer Boulevard and North Conduit Avenue in Springfield Gardens, police said. Cajuste was riding in the passenger seat of a black 1993 Nissan Altima driven by his friend, Reginald Gustave, 23, of 85 Salem Road in Valley Stream, when the car struck the front of a 1995 Range Roverand then crashed into a traffic light pole.The driver of the Range Rover escaped unharmed, the Queens DA's office said.The Queens District Attorney's office said Gustave had allegedly been driving at a high rate of speed at the time of the accident.Gustave allegedly fled the scene of the accident on foot, but later turned himself in to the 105th Precinct, a spokeswoman for the Queens DA's office said. Gustave was charged with vehicular manslaughter, criminal negligence, leaving the scene of an accident without reporting it and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, police said. If convicted, he could face up to seven years in prison, the Queens DA's office said. “This case is another heartbreaking reminder of the terrible and tragic consequences that can result from mixing alcohol and driving,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. “The defendant will now have to live the rest of his life knowing that if he did not get behind the wheel that morning, his friend would still be alive.”Brown said Brown said the criminal complaint charges that Gustave admitted that he was drinking alcohol with his friends at a Queens nightclub and that he was driving them home when the accident occurred. Brown said Gustave also admitted to fleeing on foot after the accident. The defendant allegedly had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath and bloodshot watery eyes when he turned himself in to the 105th Precinct, Brown said.A third passenger in the back seat of the vehicle was also treated for injuries, but was not seriously hurt, the DA said. The third passenger – a 23-year-old man – has not been identified, but the DA's office said the passenger waited at the scene of the accident for police. Gustave was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court Monday. His bail was set at $100,000 and he will return to court on January 26.Reach reporter Nathan Duke by email at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
