A Queens grand jury indicted an East Elmhurst man in connection to a July 4th fatal collision at Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Yersson Diaz, 27, of Ericsson Street just south of LaGuardia Airport, appeared at Queens Criminal Court for a summons on Tuesday and was taken into custody, according to an NYPD spokeswoman. He was booked Tuesday afternoon at the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst, where he was charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.
An investigation by the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Squad determined that Diaz was behind the wheel of a 2008 Mini Cooper traveling westbound on Meridian Road just south of the New York State Pavilion at 5:48 p.m.
As he approached Pacific Avenue, Diaz failed to navigate the roadway and struck a light pole, which smashed into the Mini Cooper, grievously injuring his front-seat passenger. Diaz fled the crash scene.
The victim sustained severe head and body trauma, police said Wednesday. EMS responded to the scene and rushed the injured man to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital in Flushing, where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead on Monday, July 8.
He was later identified as 52-year-old Jose Maza of 39th Avenue in Corona, just four blocks west of the park.
Diaz was arraigned in Queens Supreme Court Wednesday afternoon. Bail was set at $10,000 cash and a $30,000 bond. Diaz was ordered to return to court on Jan. 9, 2025.
