Driver enters guilty plea in fatal Elwood drunken-driving crash

An East Northport man pleaded guilty Wednesday to aggravated vehicular homicide for a drunken-driving crash last year that killed his passenger, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said.

Carlos Orellana Mata, 36, had been speeding over 80 mph with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.20% prior to the crash — the legal limit in New York State is 0.08% — when he rear-ended a tractor trailer, killing the passenger, Lenel Umana Guitierrez Lopez, 22, also of East Northport, upon impact, the office said in a news release.

Orellana Mata faces between 3 and 9 years in prison, the release said. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 7.

The crash happened about 12:17 a.m. on March 18, 2023; Orellana Mata was driving a 2015 Infiniti QX60 SUV eastbound on Jericho Turnpike in Elwood at the time.

When rescuers came to the scene, his speech was slurred and eyes were glassy and bloodshot. He was extricated from the driver’s seat and brought to the hospital. He later consented to toxicology testing, which showed a 0.15% concentration of alcohol. A warrant to seize blood that had been taken earlier, upon his admission to the hospital, showed the 0.20% level. His speed was determined examining the SUV pursuant to a warrant.

Orellana Mata entered the guilty plea before Judge Stephen L. Braslow in Riverhead. The plea also includes the crimes of manslaughter, aggravated driving while intoxicated and reckless driving, online court records show.

Orellana Mata’s attorney, Christopher Gioe, didn’t return a message seeking comment. The victim’s family couldn’t be reached for comment.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.