A Hempstead man’s drunken crash that killed his own passenger ultimately unraveled a years-long string of violent crimes, as DNA and GPS evidence tied him to multiple home invasions across Long Island.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly announced that 35-year-old Elvin Maradiaga Ortiz pleaded guilty just before trial to a series of charges tied to burglaries, robberies, drug sales, and a fatal 2024 crash.
Prosecutors said the break in the case came after Ortiz’s February 24, 2024 DWI crash in Uniondale, when he lost control of a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee on Jerusalem Avenue, slammed into a pole, and flipped the vehicle.
Instead of helping, Ortiz fled the scene on foot, leaving behind his unconscious passenger, 35-year-old Alex Banegas Figueroa, who died a week later.
That crash triggered a deeper investigation that would ultimately expose Ortiz’s alleged criminal history.
Authorities said DNA recovered during the investigation – and GPS data from an ankle monitor Ortiz was wearing – placed him at the scenes of multiple violent crimes dating back to 2021.
In one case, Ortiz and two accomplices allegedly broke into an Elmont home, threatened a resident at gunpoint, and stole a safe containing $20,000.
DNA found on a mask left near the scene was later matched to Ortiz.
In another incident, he allegedly stole jewelry from a Floral Park apartment, including watches, a diamond engagement ring, and a gold necklace.
Then in 2023, prosecutors said Ortiz took part in a violent West Hempstead home invasion, where a victim was thrown to the ground and held at gunpoint while jewelry was ripped from his body, leaving him injured.
Investigators also tied Ortiz to the crimes using surveillance footage that tracked a vehicle back to Hempstead, along with GPS records from his ankle monitor confirming his presence at multiple crime scenes.
Authorities further allege Ortiz sold cocaine in Hempstead in 2019.
Ortiz was arrested on March 21, 2024, about a month after the fatal crash.
He pleaded guilty to multiple felony and misdemeanor charges and is expected to be sentenced to 19 years in prison on May 18, 2026. Prosecutors had recommended a 25-year sentence.
“This defendant demonstrated a consistent disregard for human life,” Donnelly said. “He left a dying victim behind… but his own DNA ultimately exposed the truth.”
Photo: NCPD.
