Illegal Immigrant Drunk Driver Pleads Guilty In Deadly 117 MPH Crash

A Salvadoran national, an illegal immigrat, has pleaded guilty to killing a 22-year-old passenger in a horrifying drunken-driving crash that saw his BMW rocket down a Medford street at 117 mph, nearly four times the speed limit.

Jefry Valdez Cruz, 26, of Medford, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide and eight additional charges in the October 2025 crash that killed Edgar Guevara Ramos and injured two other passengers.

He now faces four to 12 years behind bars.

According to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney, Valdez Cruz and three passengers were returning from a barbecue where he had been drinking.

At approximately 2:53 a.m. on October 6, 2025, Valdez Cruz was speeding southbound on Bellport Avenue when his BMW crossed into the opposite lane and slammed into trees.

Guevara Ramos was violently ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.

Two other passengers were rushed to Stony Brook University Hospital, including one who suffered serious injuries.

The BMW's onboard recorder revealed Valdez Cruz was traveling a staggering 117 mph in a 30-mph zone just three seconds before impact.

His blood alcohol level registered 0.14%, nearly twice the legal limit.

“Every person who drinks and drives takes the same gamble that this defendant took,” Tierney said.

“Unfortunately, as we see far too often, a young passenger paid for that gamble with his life.”

Valdez Cruz pleaded guilty to all nine charges, including manslaughter, vehicular assault, drunken driving and reckless driving.

He is scheduled for sentencing December 2.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged a detainer seeking custody of Valdez Cruz after he completes his prison sentence.

Valdez Cruz pleaded guilty before Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard I. Horowitz. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Emma Richards and Jeffrey Rosenheck of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Vehicular Crime Bureau.