Angel Melendez is headed to state prison for a crash that shattered an East Harlem block last summer. A judge on Tuesday handed down a 4 1/2 to 13 1/2 year sentence for the July 2024 wreck that killed 51-year-old Nadjari Reid and injured another pedestrian, closing a case prosecutors had painted as a high-speed, reckless run up First Avenue. For months, family members and neighbors kept a quiet vigil at the corner, building memorials as the city waited to see what would happen in court.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg publicly announced the sentence in a post on X, calling it “a tragic reminder of how reckless driving can end lives and destroy families.” The DA reiterated the 4 1/2-to-13 1/2-year term and thanked the investigators who worked the case, using the post as his office’s official notice of Tuesday’s outcome.
How the crash unfolded
According to ABC7, the deadly chain reaction began on July 29, 2024, when prosecutors say Melendez ran a red light at First Avenue and East 105th Street, jumped a concrete island at the northwest corner, then smashed into a motorcycle and a parked SUV. The force of the impact left Reid and another man pinned, authorities said. Reid was later pronounced dead at the hospital. A 14-year-old boy riding in Melendez’s car escaped without injury.
Plea and prosecution
Melendez pleaded guilty on January 6 to Manslaughter in the Second Degree, Assault in the Third Degree and Reckless Endangerment, with sentencing initially set for Feb. 24. Earlier coverage of the plea and the prosecutors on the case is detailed in Guilty plea in fatal crash. The Manhattan DA’s office said Assistant D.A. Heather Pearson prosecuted the case under the supervision of the Vehicular Crimes Unit.
Sentence and legal context
The 4 1/2-to-13 1/2-year prison term matches the range outlined in the plea agreement, according to the DA’s post. Prosecutors repeatedly framed the case as one of vehicular violence, arguing that the charges reflected not only Reid’s death but also the risk Melendez’s driving posed to everyone else on First Avenue that day. The DA’s office credited the Highway Safety Enforcement Unit along with officers from the 23rd Precinct for their work on the investigation.
Community reaction
Neighbors told ABC7 they had set out candles and small memorials at the curb where Reid was struck, calling him a familiar face who was part of the block’s daily rhythm. Local residents and street-safety advocates said they hope the prison term sends a clear warning to drivers who treat Manhattan’s avenues like speedways.
Prosecutors said the sentence was meant both to hold Melendez accountable and to discourage similar conduct. For more detail on the plea and the DA’s framing of the case, see the Guilty plea in fatal crash. Neighbors say the decision brings some measure of closure, even as they continue to mourn Reid at the corner where his life was cut short.
