By Stephen Stirling
Police said Angel Arcentales of 8200 Shore Front Parkway was pronounced dead upon arrival to Peninsula Hospital after his 1997 BMW slammed into a city street sweeper shortly after 3 a.m. Police said the accident occurred on Cross Bay Boulevard near the corner of East 1st Road as Arcentales was headed back to his Rockaway Park home. Police said the driver of the street sweeper was taken to Peninsula Hospital with minor injuries. An autopsy showed that Arcentales, 37, died of blunt trauma to the abdomen, and toxicology tests were still pending as of Tuesday evening, according to the medical examiner. Arcentales was the second vice president of the Hispanic Society, a fraternal organization of the NYPD that works to improve the relationship between the Police Department and those of Hispanic descent in New York City. Several family members wept outside his apartment building Friday afternoon, but said they were too distraught to speak. Friends arrived at the apartment throughout the afternoon, where they said he lived with his parents, whom he cared for. Though police said the cause of the accident remains under investigation, residents of Broad Channel have often been critical of the stretch of highway that runs through their community. Members of the Broad Channel Civic Association lodged complaints with the 100th Police Precinct, which covers the community, at several meetings throughout 2006, saying vehicles travel through the area at high speeds. In July, one such incident caused one of the worst accidents of the year. A van carrying 10 special needs patients from Peninsula Hospital careened into a tree, killing five on board. Reach reporter Stephen Stirling by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 162.
