Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Reginald Nash was sentenced today to seven to 21 years in prison for a collision on the Long Island Expressway in November 2023 that left one of his passengers dead. The defendant was driving approximately 89 mph and under the influence of alcohol, when he slammed into an exit barrier causing a chain-reaction collision. Three other passengers in Nash’s car, including the defendant’s sister, were seriously injured.

District Attorney Katz said: “The defendant put this terrible course of events in motion when he took the wheel under the influence of alcohol. It is imperative to remind every individual they are responsible for their decisions, and this defendant’s reckless conduct led to the loss of one life and life-altering injuries for the surviving passengers.  He pleaded guilty to these charges and today was sentenced to seven to 21 years in prison.”

Nash, 26, of Lincoln Avenue in Roosevelt, pleaded guilty in May to aggravated vehicular homicide and assault in the second degree before Supreme Court Justice Michael Hartofilis, who sentenced the defendant today to an indeterminate sentence of seven to 21 years in prison.

According to the charges and investigation, on November 19, 2023, at approximately 4:30 a.m., Nash was driving a 2021 Honda Accord eastbound on the Long Island Expressway when he crashed into a highway attenuator separating the highway from the Greenpoint Avenue exit.

After hitting the barrier, the Honda spun out of control and struck a Toyota on the highway. That car, in turn, spun and hit a Kia. The Honda sustained extensive damage and came to a halt facing the wrong direction on the highway.

One of Nash’s passengers, 23-year-old Cameron Mency, was ejected approximately 90 feet from his car by the impact of the crash. She was found unresponsive in the left lane of the highway and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Three additional passengers were injured: one sustained serious injuries requiring multiple back surgeries and another passenger sustained head and body trauma necessitating surgery for a fractured tibia. She has not regained full mobility. Nash’s sister was also injured in the crash.

According to the investigation, Nash had a blood alcohol level of .12 percent, exceeding the legal threshold of .08 percent. The vehicle’s black box later revealed that the car was traveling at approximately 89 miles per hour five seconds prior to the fatal collision.

Assistant District Attorney Alexia Campoverde of the District Attorney’s Career Criminal Major Crimes Bureau prosecuted the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Michael Whitney, Bureau Chief, and Roni C. Piplani and Timothy Regan, Deputy Bureau Chiefs, with the assistance of Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Selkowe, Vehicular Homicide Unit Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Shawn Clark.