Man killed in stolen truck accident

A man was killed in a box truck accident in New York City last Tuesday. Hamlet Cruz Gomez was going grocery shopping in his SUV when the driver of a stolen box truck lost control of his vehicle and crashed into the SUV.  The truck driver, Ramon Pera was behind the wheel of the stolen truck and his driving was so reckless that he struck a few other parked cars before crashing into Cruz-Gomez SUV at the intersection of  Metropolitan Ave and Rentar Plaza in Queens. Cruz-Gomez was rushed to the emergency room but he couldn’t be saved.

The 25 year old victim was a radiology technician at Montefiore Medical Center. During the covid-19 pandemic he isolated himself from his pregnant wife. He was able to return home and escort his wife to the delivery room to welcome his new daughter around a month ago. According to his family and friends Cruz-Gomez was a hard working generous man who was ecstatic about the arrival of his baby girl. They are devastated.

After the accident, the reckless truck driver, 37 year old Pera, tried to run away on foot but was arrested shortly after. He was arraigned on charges of reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of an accident, assault, manslaughter and grand larceny.

Two days after the accident, Queens district Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Ramon Pena was charged with second degree murder in the death of Hamlet Cruz-Gomez as well as several other charges linked to the theft of the truck and the road rampage linked to it. Pena struck more than 20 vehicles while driving on the wrong side of the road and ran multiple red lights. He is facing 25 years to life and he is due in court again on July 10.

Pena stole the truck on 101 st Street in Jamaica as the driver had left the key in the ignition.  Some family members believe he was on drugs.

Read more in the NY Daily News