Drunk Driver Pleads Guilty for Fatally Injuring Pedestrian in Hit-and-Run in City's Ferry-Fillmore Neighborhood

Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 48-year-old Rinaldo R. Pearson of Buffalo pleaded guilty this morning before Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case to one count of Vehicular Manslaughter in the First Degree (Class “C” felony). The defendant pleaded guilty to the highest sustainable charge.

On Saturday, February 25, 2023, at approximately 4:40 a.m., Buffalo Police officers responded to a 911 call about a reported accident on the 1500 block of Broadway. The officers found a female pedestrian lying in the street. The victim, 31-year-old Amber Young of Depew, was taken by ambulance to ECMC where she later died.

A short time later, Cheektowaga Police saw the defendant driving a vehicle near the border of the City of Buffalo, which matched the description of the suspect vehicle involved in the hit-and-run. The defendant, who was driving while under the influence of alcohol, hit the pedestrian and drove away from the scene without reporting the incident to police. 

Pearson faces up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced on Tuesday, January 16, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. He continues to be released on bail set at $15,000 cash or $30,000 bond.  

DA Flynn commends the Buffalo Police Department Accident Investigation Unit for their work in this investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Christopher M. McCarthy of the Vehicular Crimes Unit.