A Spring Valley man has pleaded guilty to all charges in the June 2025 crash that killed four-year-old Golda Eisenbach, daughter of Spring Valley Village Trustee Yisroel Eisenbach, and seriously injured two others. Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II announced that Axel I. Lopez-Santiago, 42, pleaded guilty to 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 Driving While Intoxicated as a Felony, and one count of Reckless Driving. The plea was entered before Judge Kevin Russo, who indicated he would issue a significantly lighter sentence than the District Attorney’s Office recommended. Lopez-Santiago was immediately remanded to the Rockland County Jail without bail, and sentencing is scheduled for February 18, 2026.
According to prosecutors, on June 14, 2025, Lopez-Santiago was driving eastbound on Old Nyack Turnpike at a high rate of speed when he crossed the double yellow line, left the roadway, and drove onto the pedestrian sidewalk near the entrance of Kennedy Park. His vehicle struck at least four individuals before crashing into a tree. Responding officers found him alone in the driver’s seat and intoxicated. All victims were transported to local hospitals. Four-year-old Golda Eisenbach died from her injuries, and a 31-year-old man and a five-year-old boy suffered serious physical injuries. Monsey Scoop previously reported on the indictment here: https://monseyscoop.com/rockland-county-da-announces-indictment-of-axel-lopez-santiago-in-death-of-4-year-old-golda-eisenbach/
The District Attorney’s Office sought a significantly harsher sentence, recommending 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison on the aggravated vehicular homicide charges, along with additional consecutive terms for the assault counts. Judge Russo, however, stated he intends to impose 4 to 12 years in prison on each Aggravated Vehicular Homicide and Manslaughter count, with those sentences running concurrently. He also promised six years in prison on each Assault in the Second Degree count, to run consecutive to each other but concurrent with all remaining charges, along with 1 1/3 to 4 years on the felony DWI and 364 days for Reckless Driving.
District Attorney Walsh expressed disappointment in the court’s planned sentence, stating, “We pushed for a sentence that reflected the gravity of the severe harm done to our community, and the court chose to give the defendant less. My Office will continue to demand real consequences for those who destroy lives through reckless, repeated intoxicated driving.” The investigation was led by the Spring Valley Police Department, with assistance from the Ramapo Police Department and the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Dominic Crispino, Executive Assistant District Attorney Michael Dugandzic, and Supervising Assistant District Attorney Sharleen Bailon of the Vehicular Crimes Unit.