A Hauppauge man pleaded guilty Thursday to multiple felony charges in the drunken-driving crash that killed Nassau County Police Officer Patricia Espinosa as she drove to work earlier this year.
Matthew Smith, 21, admitted guilt in Suffolk County Criminal Court to aggravated vehicular homicide, manslaughter, aggravated vehicular assault, assault and aggravated driving while intoxicated in connection with the Jan. 31, 2026 crash that claimed Espinosa’s life.
Under the plea agreement, Smith is expected to be sentenced on July 20 to between 7⅓ and 22 years in state prison.
According to Suffolk County prosecutors, Smith was intoxicated, speeding and driving erratically when he ran a red light and crashed into Espinosa’s vehicle at the intersection of Route 347 and Alexander Road in Lake Grove at approximately 6 a.m. on Jan. 31. Prosecutors said Smith’s blood alcohol content was 0.20%, more than twice New York’s legal limit, and that he admitted driving more than 70 mph in a 30 mph zone before the collision.
Espinosa, 42, was a nine-year veteran of the Nassau County Police Department assigned to the Fifth Precinct. She was on her way to work when she was killed.
In a statement released Thursday through attorneys representing the Espinosa family, relatives thanked the Suffolk County Police Department and Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney’s office for their work on the investigation and prosecution.
“The work of the Suffolk County Police Department and the District Attorney’s Office in this case was nothing short of extraordinary,” the family’s statement said.
The family said the guilty plea spared them from a lengthy trial and appeals process that would have forced them to repeatedly revisit the circumstances surrounding Espinosa’s death.
The statement also highlighted admissions Smith made during his plea allocution regarding alcohol purchases before the crash.
According to the family’s attorneys, Smith admitted purchasing alcohol while underage at several Suffolk County establishments, including Aqua Vitae Wines and Liquors in Hauppauge, Buffalo Wild Wings in Miller Place, Felt in Hauppauge and James Joyce in Patchogue. The family said Smith acknowledged that he was not asked to provide proof of age during those purchases.
“There were multiple occasions that night when multiple establishments could have simply followed the law and refused to serve an underage patron,” the family said in the statement.
The family announced its intention to pursue civil litigation against establishments where Smith allegedly obtained alcohol before the crash.
Officer Espinosa is survived by her husband, Nassau County Police Officer Francisco Malaga, their young daughter, and her brothers and sister.
Smith remains in custody pending his July 20 sentencing.
Photo courtesy of the Espinosa family
