A Queens grand jury indicted a Long Island man on charges of manslaughter, driving under the influence, criminal possession of a weapon and other charges for a fatal collision on the Belt Parkway in Rosedale that killed a Suffolk County woman just over a year ago.
Kenyatta Weston Jr.,31, of Amityville, was arraigned March 3 in Queens Supreme Court on a 13-count indictment and is being held without bail for the crash that killed 27-year-old Vanessa Perla-Hernandez of Bentwood, Long Island.
According to the indictment and investigation, on Feb. 8, 2025, the victim drove white Toyota Camry registered in her name with Weston in the passenger seat from Suffolk County to Brooklyn. At approximately 1 a.m., they arrived at a bar on Avenue U where they consumed alcohol. They both left the lounge at around 3:30 a.m. and Weston allegedly drove the car away from the location with the victim in the passenger seat.
According to the investigation, approximately 15 minutes later, the defendant was driving at a speed of 115 mph in a 45-mph zone on the eastbound Belt Parkway near the Sunrise Highway overpass in Rosedale when he failed to navigate the highway and slammed into the sand-filled cushion barrels located on a grassy shoulder at 3:47 a.m.Neither the defendant nor the victim were wearing seatbelts at the time of the collision and both were ejected from the vehicle on impact. Police from the 116th Precinct responded to a 911 call on a motor vehicle collision on the Belt Parkway and found the woman unresponsive.
EMS rushed her to Long Island Jewish Valley Stream Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Weston sustained injuries to his lower spine and a broken pelvis. EMS transported him to North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, where he was listed in critical condition, and has since recovered.
According to the indictment, a blood test determined that the defendant’s blood alcohol content approximately one hour after the crash was .16, which is over the legal limit of .08. A search of the vehicle at the scene resulted in the recovery of a Springfield Armory 9 mm pistol containing a large capacity magazine from the front driver side footwell. A fingerprint on the firearm’s magazine matched the defendant. Westin was arrested by members of the NYPD Warrant Squad on Tuesday morning and he was booked at the 116th Precinct in Rosedale.
“As alleged, the defendant consumed alcohol before making the selfish decision to get behind the wheel of a vehicle and drive at 115 miles per hour along the Belt Parkway, resulting in a fatal crash that took the life of his passenger,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “A firearm was also recovered from the vehicle at the scene of the crime.”
Weston was also charged with vehicular manslaughter, reckless driving, operating a vehicle at unreasonable speed, and two counts of driving in excess of the maximum speed limit. Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Hartofilis remanded Weston into custody without bail and ordered him to return to court on April 23. If convicted, he faces up to 22 years in prison.
“This was a series of deliberate, dangerous choices that ended in tragedy for the 27-year-old victim and her loved ones,” Katz said. “We will aggressively prosecute those who choose to ignore the rules of the road, which are designed to keep us all safe.”
