Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
Elvin Maradiaga Ortiz, 35, of Hempstead, pleaded guilty on March 16 before Judge Howard Sturim to multiple felony charges stemming from a fatal DWI crash and several violent crimes committed between 2019 and 2024. The plea came on the eve of trial for charges that included a manslaughter count for a February 2024 crash on Jerusalem Avenue in Uniondale that killed one of his passengers, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.
On February 24, 2024, at approximately 5:10 a.m., Maradiaga Ortiz was driving a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee westbound on Jerusalem Avenue in Uniondale while intoxicated, prosecutors say. He had two passengers in his vehicle when he drove off the roadway, causing the SUV to strike a pole and flip over. After the collision, Maradiaga Ortiz fled the scene on foot, leaving his backseat passenger, 35-year-old Alex Banegas Figueroa, unconscious in the wreckage. Figueroa was transported to Nassau University Medical Center following the crash and was pronounced dead one week later on March 1, 2024.
A subsequent investigation revealed that Maradiaga Ortiz had consumed multiple alcoholic beverages over the course of several hours at a local bar prior to the collision, according to prosecutors. During the investigation into the fatal crash, authorities connected Maradiaga Ortiz to several previously committed crimes using a DNA sample belonging to the defendant that was recovered from various crime scenes, along with GPS evidence from an ankle monitoring device he had been wearing since 2020 following an arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The investigation uncovered a pattern of violent crimes dating back to 2019. Prosecutors say that in 2019, Maradiaga Ortiz sold cocaine to another individual in Hempstead. On August 5, 2021, he broke into a second-floor apartment in a home in Elmont and stole a safe containing $20,000 from a bedroom closet, according to the DA’s office. The homeowner, who was asleep in another part of the house, heard noises and discovered three men including Maradiaga Ortiz wearing dark clothes, hoodies, and face masks. One of the men threatened to shoot the homeowner if he moved, prosecutors say. The victim retreated into his home as the three men fled.
Police reviewed video footage from the front and backyard of the Elmont home that showed three masked men arriving at the property and then running away with a large box. Additional video footage from a home one block away captured the men entering a vehicle. Police later recovered a pair of gloves, a face mask, and a t-shirt in front of that residence, with prosecutors subsequently matching Maradiaga Ortiz’s DNA to a sample found on the recovered mask.
Just one week later, on August 12, 2021, Maradiaga Ortiz stole jewelry from an apartment in Floral Park, including three watches, a diamond engagement ring, and a white gold necklace, according to prosecutors. The criminal activity continued into 2023, when he broke into a West Hempstead home around 4:00 a.m. The victim opened his bedroom door to go to the bathroom and encountered Maradiaga Ortiz and others dressed in black and wearing masks. The individuals, armed with weapons, pushed the victim back into the bedroom and threw him to the floor, prosecutors say. The victim was held at gunpoint as the intruders ripped three gold necklaces from his neck and a gold bracelet from his wrist, resulting in injuries to his forehead, arms, and the back of his neck.
An extensive video search uncovered footage at the end of the West Hempstead street showing three men getting out of a dark-colored sedan. Additional videos backtracked the sedan to Hempstead, where Maradiaga Ortiz was seen getting into the vehicle. GPS records from his ankle monitoring device corroborated the defendant’s presence at each of the crime scenes during the 2021, 2023, and 2024 incidents. Maradiaga Ortiz was arrested by Nassau County Police Department members on March 21, 2024.
“From violent robberies to the alcohol-fueled crash that killed his own passenger, this defendant demonstrated a consistent disregard for human life,” said Nassau DA Anne Donnelly. “He left a dying victim behind in an attempt to escape responsibility for his violent past, but his own DNA ultimately exposed the truth. The extensive investigation and relentless work of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners built a powerful case that led to this guilty plea. No outcome can undo the loss suffered by the victims and their families, but this result removes a dangerous criminal from our streets.”
Location & Road Context
Jerusalem Avenue in Uniondale is a major east-west thoroughfare that runs through Nassau County, connecting multiple Long Island communities. The westbound section where the fatal crash occurred is a busy roadway that sees significant traffic during early morning hours from commuters and late-night travelers. The area where Maradiaga Ortiz’s Jeep Grand Cherokee left the roadway and struck a pole before flipping over represents a stretch of road that has seen various traffic incidents over the years.
The Uniondale section of Jerusalem Avenue passes through both residential and commercial areas, with the early morning crash occurring during a time when traffic is typically lighter but can still include shift workers and individuals returning from late-night establishments.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Maradiaga Ortiz pleaded guilty to Burglary in the First Degree and Robbery in the First Degree (both Class B violent felonies); Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (a Class B felony); Manslaughter in the Second Degree (a Class C felony); Leaving the Scene of an Incident Resulting in Death (a Class D felony); Driving While Intoxicated (an unclassified misdemeanor); and Assault in the Third Degree and Petit Larceny (both Class A misdemeanors). The plea was entered before Judge Howard Sturim in Nassau County Court.
Maradiaga Ortiz is expected to be sentenced to 19 years in prison on May 18, 2026, though the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office had recommended a sentence of 25 years in prison. The case demonstrates how modern investigative techniques, including DNA analysis and GPS tracking evidence from monitoring devices, can connect suspects to multiple crimes across several years.
Broader Impact
The case highlights how ankle monitoring devices, typically used as alternatives to detention, can provide crucial evidence in criminal investigations. Maradiaga Ortiz had been wearing the GPS tracking device since his 2020 ICE arrest, and the location data became key evidence linking him to multiple crime scenes across Nassau County, ultimately helping prosecutors build their case against him for the series of violent crimes that culminated in the fatal DWI crash.