West Hempstead man sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison for fatal hit-and-run crash

West Hempstead resident Roy Gomez was sentenced to five to 15 years in prison on Friday for a fatal hit-and-run last March.

Gomez, 39, pleaded guilty before Acting Supreme Court Justice Meryl Berkowitz on Oct. 19 to:

•Aggravated vehicular homicide

•Leaving the scene of an incident without reporting with death

•Two counts of third-degree assault

•Aggravated driving while intoxicated

Jovanni Bien-Amie, 21, of Baldwin, died on March 14 from injuries sustained in the crash, and his parents, Jacques Bien-Aime and Kettelye Plantin, were also injured.

“The Bien-Amie family was simply driving home after getting dinner together,” said Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas in a news release. “It is unthinkable that in a split second the selfish, drunk and criminal driving of the defendant stole the life of an innocent 21-year-old man, injured his parents and imposed a life sentence on the shattered Bien-Amie family. Our thoughts and sympathy are with them.”

Singas said on March 13, at roughly 10:15 p.m., Gomez drove his 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer south on Grand Avenue in Baldwin while intoxicated and impaired by drugs when he rear-ended a Nissan Altima that was stopped for a red traffic signal at Milburn Avenue. The violent impact pushed the rear of the Altima into the passenger compartment, left all three victims trapped inside the vehicle and propelled the Nissan down Grand Avenue. Following the collision, Gomez allegedly left the scene in his vehicle, parked it a few blocks away and then ran away on foot.

Gomez was later arrested at 3:30 a.m. by members of the Freeport and Nassau County Police Departments who found Gomez sleeping in a boat on Woodcleft Avenue in Freeport.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Alexander DePalo and Deputy Bureau Chief Michael Bushwack of Singas’ Vehicular Crimes Bureau. Gomez is represented by Robert Schalk, Esq.