Justice Served In Heartbreaking Case Of A Little Girl’s Death

A Rockland County man is headed to prison for a 2025 crash when he hopped a curb and hit several people killing a four-year-old little girl.

The Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II announced Thursday that Axel I. Lopez-Santiago, 41, of Spring Valley, was sentenced to 12 years in state prison after he pled guilty to the eight count indictment against him.

The Fatal Summer 2025 Crash

On June 14, 2025,  Lopez-Santiago admitted to driving his car recklessly eastbound on Old Nyack Turnpike, in Spring Valley at a high rate of speed.

That's when his car suddenly veered across the double yellow line, into the opposite lane before continuing off the road and onto the sidewalk near the entrance to Kennedy Park.

Lopez-Santiago's car then hit at least three people before crashing into a tree. When police arrived  Lopez-Santiago was still behind the wheel of the vehicle.

All the victims were taken to local hospitals, but one of the victims, a four-year-old girl died from her injuries. Two of the other victims, a 31-year-old man and a five-year-old boy, sustained serious physical injuries.

Police determined  Lopez-Santiago was driving drunk at the time of the fatal collision.

"Today’s sentence cannot undo the unimaginable pain caused by the defendant’s reckless actions, nor can it bring back a four-year old child whose life was tragically cut short, but I hope that it brings some measure of justice and closure,” said District Attorney Walsh. “Our hearts remain with the victim’s family and all those who were injured."

The District Attorney’s Office recommended the maximum sentence on every count of the indictment as follows:

• 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison on the Aggravated Vehicular Homicide counts (concurrent with each other, consecutive to the Assault in the Second Degree Counts, and concurrent with all other counts);
• 5 to 15 years in prison on the Manslaughter in the Second Degree count (concurrent with all other counts);
• 7 years in prison on the Assault in the Second Degree counts consecutive with each other and one of the Aggravated Vehicular Homicide counts, concurrent with all other counts);
• 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison on the Driving While Intoxicated as a Felony count (concurrent with all other counts)
• and 1 year in jail on the Reckless Driving count (concurrent with all other counts).

Lopez-Santiago was sentenced to:

• 4 to 12 years in prison on each count of Aggravated Vehicular Homicide and Second-degree Manslaughter (to run concurrent to each other and all other charges);
• 6 years in prison on each count of Assault in the Second Degree (to run consecutive with each other, but concurrent with all other charges);
• 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison on Driving While Intoxicated as a Felony (to run concurrent with all other charges);
• and 364 days in jail on the Reckless Driving charge (to run concurrent with all other charges).

Lopez-Santiago was previously convicted of Driving While Intoxicated in the Village of Spring Valley Justice Court in Rockland County on August 7, 2018.