Man Indicted After Causing Multiple Crashes Along 18th Avenue Leaving Two Dead, Five Injured

M.C. Millman

Vitaliy Konoplyov, 49, of Coney Island, Brooklyn, was indicted for causing a car crash on  March 20, 2023, at approximately 12:48 p.m that resulted in the deaths of two people and the injury of five.

The unlicensed Konoplyovm, as reported by BoroPark24 here, was speeding while going southbound on 18th Avenue in a 2015 white Toyota Camry. He ran multiple red lights and T-boned a 2016 black Honda HR-V heading east on 64th Street.

The collision caused Stanchev's vehicle to spin so that it jumped the curb,  running down pedestrian Leung Yuet, 65, and then striking a 2021 silver Chevy Equinox driven by a 71-year-old man going southbound on 18th Avenue. The 71-year-old was uninjured, but Stanchev was declared dead after being taken to Maimonides Hospital, and his 49-year-old passenger suffered serious brain injuries. 

Konoplyov was unharmed, but his two passengers were injured. A 32-year-old man was taken to Maimonides Hospital with minor injuries, and a 46-year-old man who suffered significant injuries to the face and left hand was taken to NYU.

"This defendant's alleged extreme recklessness caused the senseless deaths of two innocent people and inflicted serious injuries on others," District Attorney Gonzalez said. "New Yorkers deserve safe streets, and I am committed to holding accountable any driver who endangers the public with this kind of senseless and illegal conduct."

Konoplyov was arraigned before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on a 20-count indictment, including second-degree manslaughter, second-and third-degree assault, criminally negligent homicide, second-degree reckless endangerment, and other charges. He is being held on bail of $1 million bond or $250,000 cash and has been ordered to return to court on June 21, 2023.