Credit: Twitter/@EPMcNeil
A 23-year-old Georgia man has been charged with second degree murder in the crash that killed an MTA bus driver last month.
Domonic Whilby, of Griffin, Ga., was allegedly driving a stolen truck on the morning of Feb. 12 when he crashed into a city bus in Greenwich Village, killing 49-year-old William Pena and injuring five others.
“Intoxicated drivers continue to plague New York,” said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance in a statement. “The tragic death of William Pena was preventable, as are so many vehicular fatalities.”
Whilby, who is the nephew of model Tyson Beckford, was drinking at several parties beginning on the evening of Feb. 11 and into the early morning hours of Feb. 12, according to the indictment.
At about 5:22 a.m., he allegedly entered a commercial truck that was parked at the loading dock of the Dream Hotel in the Meatpacking District. As he tried to drive away, he struck the walls of the dock, a taxi and another truck.
Whilby continued to drive away, speeding through intersections and running red lights, according to authorities.
His joy ride came to halt when he struck the bus at the southeast corner at 14th Street and Seventh Avenue, causing the bus to careen into scaffolding. Pena was ejected from the bus and died at the scene, authorities said.
Whilby had a blood alcohol concentration of at least .18 percent, according to the district attorney’s office.
He also faces charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular manslaughter, assault charges, burglary, reckless endangerment and grand larceny.
