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Angel Lopez

Age : 22

Gender : Male

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 08/21/2022

Location : Queens Plaza South and Jackson Avenue

City : Long Island City

County : Queens Borough

State : New York

Agency : NYPD

Officer(s) :Niketas Janios; Marya Cardona Quintero

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Driver killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/19/2022, 22-year-old Angel Lopez was killed when the ATV he was driving crashed into a tractor-trailer near Queens Plaza South and Jackson Avenue in Long Island City during an encounter involving New York Police Department officers. His passenger and friend, 18-year-old Jeremy Rosario, was also killed. The New York Attorney General's Office records both deaths as occurring on 08/19/2022 and classifies the incident as vehicular.
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The police encounter began over the operation of an ATV on city streets rather than a reported violent crime. Subsequent reporting on New York police pursuits categorized the initiating matter as an equipment violation. ATVs are prohibited from operation on New York City streets.
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Lopez was driving the ATV with Rosario as his passenger when NYPD Officers Niketas Janios and Marya Cardona Quintero encountered them. Family members and a friend riding alongside Lopez and Rosario said the officers pursued the ATV. The witness was adamant that police were chasing the two young men immediately before the fatal crash.
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During the encounter, Lopez drove the ATV against traffic near Jackson Avenue and Queens Plaza South. The ATV collided with a tractor-trailer. Lopez and Rosario suffered catastrophic injuries and died. Neither was wearing a helmet.
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The NYPD initially did not publicly characterize the incident as a police pursuit. After questions arose about the officers' actions, the department opened an investigation into whether Janios and Cardona Quintero had pursued the ATV in violation of department policy. Both officers were removed from regular enforcement duties and placed on modified duty while the circumstances of the crash were investigated.
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NYPD policy in effect at the time required officers to terminate a vehicle pursuit when the risks created by continuing the chase outweighed the danger posed by allowing the person being pursued to escape immediate apprehension. Lopez's family acknowledged that he had been illegally operating the ATV but argued that the violation did not justify a police pursuit that ended with two young men dead.
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The New York Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation received the case because the deaths occurred following an encounter with police. The Attorney General's official annual report identifies the victims as Angel Lopez, 22, and Jeremy Rosario, 18, both Latino/Hispanic men, correcting early news reports that identified Rosario as Jeremy Ramos.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
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Niketas Janios and Marya Cardona Quintero were the NYPD officers associated with the encounter and subsequent investigation into whether a prohibited or improper pursuit contributed to the fatal crash. Both were placed on modified duty following the deaths.
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SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/21/nyregion/fatal-crash-queens-nypd.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nypd-investigating-possible-police-chase-involving-illegal-atv-after-2-men-killed/
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2022_osi_annual_report.pdf
https://www.timesunion.com/projects/2024/police-pursuits/