(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced the guilty plea of Steven Sharma, 24, who was charged with Aggravated Vehicular Homicide after he crashed his vehicle into a concrete median with almost three times the legal limit of alcohol in his system, killing one passenger and injuring three others.
“When you drive drunk you not only endanger yourself, you also endanger the lives of others and that is what this defendant did,” said Tierney. “This defendant’s decision to drive while under the influence cost the life of one of his passengers and a lifetime of pain for all those involved.”
According to court documents and statements made during his guilty plea, on September 19, 2021, at approximately 3:42 a.m., after a night of drinking, the defendant drove eastbound from Route 109 onto the exit ramp to get onto southbound Route 110 in East Farmingdale. He drove on the ramp at an excessive speed, failed to negotiate the turn on the ramp, blew through a stop sign and crashed his vehicle head-on into a concrete median on Route 110.
The defendant’s front seat passenger, Brandon Nazirbage, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. The other three passengers in the car were all transported to a local hospital for treatment of their injuries sustained during the collision. One of the passengers, Sumeet Kumar, required surgery to repair broken bones in his legs.
An investigation by the Suffolk County Police Department and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office led to the recovery of a blood sample that the defendant had provided at the hospital when he was treated for his own injuries. Subsequent analysis of that sample revealed his blood alcohol content to be .22% with the presence of THC, the active component of marijuana. Additionally, an investigation of the crash showed that the defendant had been driving 76 mph on the ramp where the posted speed limit is 20 mph.
In addition to pleading guilty to counts of Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, Sharma also pled guilty to Manslaughter in the Second Degree; Assault in the Second Degree; Assault in the Third Degree; and Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated.
This case was heard before the Honorable Supreme Court Justice Richard I. Horowitz. Sharma faces 4 to 12 years in prison when he is sentenced. He is being represented by Brian Griffin, Esq., and he is presently scheduled to be sentenced on January 31, 2023.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jacob Delauter of the Vehicular Crime Bureau.