Even In Hiding, Fugitive Sentenced For Brentwood Hit-Run Crash That Caused Brain Injury

By Michael Mashburn From Daily Voice

A Long Island man who fled to El Salvador after a crash that left a pedestrian with a traumatic brain injury has been sentenced in absentia.

District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced Thursday, Aug. 21, that 32-year-old

Juan Morales-Guerra, 32, was sentenced to 1⅓ to 4 years in prison in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, Aug, 21. It followed his jury conviction for leaving the scene of a crash that caused serious physical injury.

The wreck happened around 9:50 p.m. May 23, 2022, when Morales-Guerra struck a pedestrian while driving an Acura MDX on Washington Street in Brentwood. He then fled without calling for help, prosecutors said.

The victim was rushed to South Shore University Hospital, where doctors performed emergency brain surgery. The victim continues to suffer from debilitating injuries, according to prosecutors.

Investigators recovered car parts from the crash site and surveillance video that captured the collision. Police later found Morales-Guerra’s Acura parked less than a half-mile from the scene, with damage matching parts found at the roadway.

Morales-Guerra admitted to striking someone and driving off during a police interview, prosecutors said.

He was arrested and arraigned in September 2022, but released without bail because the charge is considered non-bail eligible under New York law. He later boarded a flight to El Salvador and failed to return for court appearances. A bench warrant was issued in May 2023.

Despite his absence, a jury convicted Morales Guerra in March.

“This is yet another tragic example of how so-called ‘bail reform’ has eroded public safety and accountability,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.

“We remain actively engaged with our federal partners, and we will not rest until he is returned to Suffolk County to serve his sentence.”