Newly obtained video sheds light on what happened on New Year’s Eve in 2024, when a woman drove into a lake near an apartment complex in Hialeah Gardens.
Julia Vega, 73, was charged with DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide for causing the crash that killed her best friend and passenger, 69-year-old Elsa Pintor.
The incident occurred around 11 p.m. on Dec. 31 in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 9900 block of W. Okeechobee Road.
Miami-Dade Corrections
Miami-Dade Corrections
Julia Vega
Surveillance footage shows Vega’s car slowly approaching a metal fence before suddenly accelerating, striking a yellow retainer pole and chain-link fence, and plunging into the lake.
Vega managed to escape through the driver’s side window, and an officer who arrived on the scene used a rope to pull her to safety, according to records.
Pintor, who was in the passenger seat, was unable to exit the sinking vehicle.
“Did my friend die?” Vega is heard asking on body camera video.
Investigators noted that Vega was slurring her speech, stumbling on flat ground, and had bloodshot, watery eyes. When officers informed her that she would be tested for DUI, she reportedly responded, “I’m not drunk, we only had wine at Cooper’s Hawk.”
Vega allegedly failed field sobriety tests, and after a search warrant was obtained, blood samples were collected.
“Why you keep me here so long?” Vega asked during her sobriety tests. “Why are you doing this in front of everybody?”
Toxicology results showed a blood alcohol level of 0.148, dropping slightly to 0.146 an hour later, both nearly double Florida’s legal limit of 0.08.
Tests also indicated the presence of Alprazolam, a prescription medication used to treat anxiety disorders.
Court records revealed that Vega’s daughter and Pintor’s son are married and have children together.
On Tuesday, Hilton Napoleon Vega’s attorneys released the following statement: “Ms. Vega and the victim were best friends who also shared grandchildren together. This incident caused a devastating loss to the family. The family asks for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult moment, and asked that you respect their privacy.”
According to records, a tentative trial date is scheduled for December. Vega has pleaded not guilty.