BY BEN VERDE
A 21-year-old motorist is
facing up to 15 years behind
bars for fatally striking a 50-
year-old father in Borough
Park as his family watched in
horror in July.
Authorities charged the
driver, Kareem Denton, with
a 16-count indictment for allegedly
speeding his sports
car with worn-out tires and
a forged inspection sticker,
when he lost control and
smashed into Jose Barrera in
front of his 39th Street home
as the victim was unloading
groceries from his parked
car.
“This horrifi c crash was
no accident — it was a preventable
crime that stemmed
from reckless behavior before
and during the collision,” said
District Attorney Eric Gonzalez
COURIER L 18 IFE, JANUARY 8-14, 2021
in a statement. “The defendant
chose to drive a car he
knew was not safe, allegedly
sped on wet road conditions
and took the life of a hardworking
father.”
Barrera’s wife had been
sitting in the passenger seat
of their car, and the victim’s
6-year-old daughter watched
the car hit her father from the
curb, according to the DA’s offi
ce.
Investigators believe that
Denton had been driving 35
miles over the speed limit,
while knowingly operating
the car on a wet road with unsafe
tires, which a mechanic
had previously warned him
about. The defendant had also
allegedly forged an inspection
sticker on the car, which could
A memorial honors Jose Barrera outside of his 39th Street home after the July accident. Photo by Ben Verde
not have passed muster with
the New York State DMV.
Barrera’s killing prompted
calls for street safety improvements
around Borough Park,
Midwood, and Kensington,
which have seen a rash of
street deaths in recent years.
“We keep hearing that
there is no money to do this
work, that there aren’t any resources
to keep our families
safe,” said City Council candidate
Shahana Hanif at a July
17 vigil for the slain father.
“We need to make sure that
our neighborhoods — every
single neighborhood where
Black and brown communities
are dying — are safe.”
Denton was arraigned in
Brooklyn’s Supreme Court on
Dec. 3, where he was charged
with a slew of crimes — including
manslaughter, criminally
negligent homicide, reckless
manslaughter, and criminal
possession of a forged instrument.
The case is the fi rst
prosecuted by the District Attorney’s
newly formed Street
Safety Bureau.
The suspect was released
without bail, and ordered to
return to court on Jan. 28, authorities
said.
JUSTICE!
21-year-old driver charged
for fatally striking Borough
Park father in front of fam
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