Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Oneil Cruz was involved in a traffic accident which killed three people on Monday night in the Dominican Republic. And following their initial investigations, authorities in the Dominican Republic claim that Cruz was driving under the influence when he crashed his Jeep and killed three people that were on a motorcycle, according to ESPN’s Enrique Rojas.
The authorities of the Dominican Republic completed their initial investigations and determined that prospect Oneil Cruz was driving under the effects of alcohol when he caused the accident in which three people lost their lives.
The Prosecutor’s Office of the Peravia province has determined that the player was under the influence of alcohol at the time of hitting the motorcycle on which the three deceased were traveling.
Cruz was arrested at the scene. According to Rojas, the prosecution “indicated that they have gathered enough evidence to prove the responsibility of the 21-year-old, which will be presented at the hearing that will be held next Wednesday, September 23 before the Special Traffic Court of the Peravia province.”
And Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that if convicted, “Cruz could face up to five years in prison, according to Dominican Republic law.”
Cruz — a 6’7″ shortstop — is the No. 60 prospect in all of baseball according to MLB.Com. He was signed to a minor league contract by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015, before being traded to the Pirates in 2017.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.