Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh announced Thursday that a Grand Jury has indicted Axel I. Lopez-Santiago, 41, of Spring Valley, in connection with the horrific drunk driving crash that claimed the life of 4-year-old Golda Eisenbach and injured others earlier this month.
The indictment includes three counts of Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, one count of Manslaughter in the Second Degree, two counts of Assault in the Second Degree, one count of Felony Driving While Intoxicated, and one count of Reckless Driving. Lopez-Santiago is scheduled to be arraigned before the Honorable Judge Djinsad Desir in Rockland County Court on Friday, June 27, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.
On June 14, 2025, Lopez-Santiago was allegedly operating his vehicle at a high rate of speed while intoxicated, traveling eastbound on Old Nyack Turnpike in Spring Valley. His vehicle reportedly crossed the double yellow line into the opposite lane, mounted the sidewalk near the entrance to Kennedy Park, and struck at least four pedestrians before crashing into a tree.
Tragically, 4-year-old Golda Eisenbach, daughter of Spring Valley Trustee Reb Yisroel Eisenbach, was fatally struck. A 31-year-old man and a 5-year-old boy also sustained serious injuries in the crash. Lopez-Santiago was the sole occupant of the vehicle and was found to be under the influence of alcohol, according to the results of the investigation.
The case was investigated by the Spring Valley Police Department with assistance from the Ramapo Police Department and the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Supervising Assistant District Attorney Sharleen Bailon and Executive Assistant District Attorney Michael Dugandzic of the Vehicular Crimes Unit.
Authorities emphasized that the charges remain allegations and that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Again, the law is too soft. Manslaughter in the second degree is a joke compared to being drunk out of his mind and killing a maidel and maiming two others, including a five-year old, not to mention the 31 year-old that might be a father of many children dependent upon him. Being that he was also charged with driving while intoxicated, that should serve as a condition predicate to allow him to be charged – not with reckless manslaughter – but with manslaughter in the first degree, having an intention to seriously harm others that resulted in death. The legislature should stop sleeping in matters such as this, and take a realistic approach to this problem, similar to what we’ve written before that a hit-and-run driver in an accident involving fatality or serious physical injury should be presumed to have been intoxicated at the time of the crash unless s/he can establish otherwise by a preponderance of the evidence.