E.M. man faces up to year in jail for 2011 crash

Jonathan Lopez, of East Meadow, faces a maximum of a year in jail for his involvement in a crash that resulted in the death an off-duty New York City Police Officer, Kevin Jessup, in September 2011.

Lopez, 22, was found guilty by a Nassau County jury on Nov. 15 of assault, reckless endangerment and reckless driving, but was acquitted of manslaughter.

Two years ago, Lopez was driving a Nissan on the Southern State Parkway when he hit Jessup’s Nissan Maxima and then rear-ended a third vehicle, operated by Dawn Smallwood, from Melville.

Jessup, a Massapequa resident, and his passenger, Crystal Simons, 30, were transported to Nassau University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. Simons was admitted with non-life threatening injuries.

Lopez is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 16, 2014.

Shams Tarek, communications director for District Attorney Kathleen Rice, said, “We respect the jury’s careful and lengthy deliberations in this difficult case. Street racing endangers everyone on the road and its seriousness is reflected in the jury’s guilty verdicts.”