Juan De Leon Collado indicted in wrong-way crash on Sunrise Highway that killed 2, DA says

A Freeport man pleaded not guilty Thursday after he was indicted on charges that he was driving drunk, leading to a wrong-way crash in November that killed his cousin and a Massapequa man in the other vehicle on Sunrise Highway in Massapequa Park.

Juan De Leon Collado, 30, was indicted on three counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, seven counts of vehicular manslaughter, three counts of assault, misdemeanor reckless endangerment, reckless driving, aggravated driving while intoxicated and two counts of driving while intoxicated. 

Prosecutors said Collado was leaving a Farmingdale sports bar Nov. 6 when he drove his 2003 Honda CRV heading west in the eastbound lanes of Sunrise Highway for about a half-mile about 4:20 a.m. and struck a 2022 Honda Civic driving east near Park Boulevard.

The crash killed Collado’s cousin, Amaury Ramirez Lora, 29, who was riding in the front seat, and also killed a passenger in the other vehicle, Nicholas Berardino, 24, and injured his cousin, Geovanie Berardino, 28, who was driving the Civic.

Collado was unconscious after the crash and was hospitalized for internal bleeding.

“Nicholas Berardino and his cousin were returning home from a local diner when the defendant allegedly came speeding at them on the wrong side of the road and crashed head-on into their car,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said in a statement. “Collado had allegedly been drinking at a local bar before he got behind the wheel. That reckless decision cost two young lives.”

Nicholas Berardino was declared dead at the scene at 4:40 a.m. His cousin broke his hip and was taken by ambulance to Nassau University Medical Center. 

Lora had to be cut free from the CRV and died from his injuries about two weeks later at NUMC.

Collado was arraigned Thursday morning in Nassau County Court, where he pleaded not guilty and bail was set at $250,000 cash or $500,000 bond.

His Queens-based attorney Evans Prieston said he is still reviewing evidence in the case.

"My client is sad about what happened and we'll defend the case the best we can," Prieston said. 

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.