Report Alleges Oneil Cruz Hired Fixer to Silence Victims of Deadly Crash

Oneil Cruz may have some very difficult questions to answer very soon.

When Cruz was a 21-year-old prospect, he was involved in a high-speed auto accident in the Dominican Republic that resulted in the deaths of three people. At the time, prosecutors alleged in a press release that an intoxicated Cruz was driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee when he rear-ended a motorcycle at high speed, killing all three riders. On Thursday, a report by ProPublica’s Gus Garcia-Roberts claims that with help from a prominent fixer, Cruz and his family allegedly made the subsequent investigation into his culpability go away by paying off the victims’ families.

The accident occurred around 11 p.m. on Sept. 21, 2020, a few miles outside the town of Nizao. Yohan Saba Mercado, 20, was driving a motorcycle along a dangerous, desolate stretch of a four-lane highway. According to Garcia-Roberts, who visited the area in person during his reporting, the road is poorly lit and, “Trucks and cars howl by at high speeds, and accidents are frequent.”

Deby Beato Charles, 20, and Daniela Perez Garcia, 19, were seated behind Mercado on the bike, while another friend rode alongside them on another bike. Suddenly, Cruz rear-ended the bike, crushing its back tire and sending all three riders onto the road. Cruz called 911 and told the responding officers that he hadn’t seen the motorcycle. The officer’s report is scant on details, and if any forensic analysis was done, it has never been produced. The second motorcyclist told ProPublica he was never questioned by authorities.

The accident made news at the time and threatened to derail Cruz’s baseball career. He had been signed by the Dodgers for $950,000 as a 16-year-old. He was subsequently traded to the Pirates at the trade deadline in 2017 in exchange for reliever Tony Watson. In the ensuing few years, he developed into one of baseball’s highest-upside prospects and one of the best in the Pirates’ system. At 6'7", he was enormous for a shortstop, but Pittsburgh saw him as the franchise’s future at the position. His combination of speed and power telegraphed superstar upside.

The Mercado and Garcia families held funerals at their houses the day after the crash. It didn’t take long for Cruz’s associates to go into damage control:

“Yohan’s mother told me that after all the mourners left the house, a driver showed up holding out a phone. On the line was Cruz’s mother offering condolences — and wanting to negotiate.”

According to the report, Santo Caraballo, a prominent figure in Dominican baseball, helped Cruz make the case disappear by paying off the families. The Dominican judicial system gives victims and their families considerable sway over whether prosecutors pursue charges. Caraballo persuaded the three families to accept cash in exchange for withdrawing any claims against Cruz, though several family members told ProPublica they were not made aware of certain aspects of the agreements, such as that Cruz would be exonerated of guilt. The families claim they received about $66,000 in total to make the case go away.

Cruz had a court appearance two days after the accident, but his representatives had already been in contact with the families.

Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz — Cruz debuted in the majors mere months after the deadly accident. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At his second court appearance, prosecutors sought to keep Cruz in custody for three months, but the victims’ families were not present. The charges included reckless driving and causing an accident that resulted in death. He faced up to three years in prison if convicted. What wasn’t mentioned in court was the fact that prosecutors had evidence that Cruz had been drinking before the accident.

An ESPN article from 2020 mentions prosecutors claiming Cruz was under the influence during the crash, but that was never made part of the criminal case.

ProPublica’s report describes the next steps that led to him being released:

While Cruz remained in police custody, his legal team submitted the withdrawals that had been signed by the victims’ families. In addition to offering his condolences, an attorney explained that Cruz was providing “material support” to the families for their “basic needs of being human: education, food, clothing, among other matters.” He also submitted numerous testimonials praising Cruz’s good character, including from his pastor, who attested that Cruz had demonstrated “loyalty and absolute fidelity to the gospel,” and from a local marble and granite contractor who said that Cruz was a responsible client “deserving of an open line of credit.” The attorney emphasized that Cruz was one of baseball’s “five highest-rated prospects internationally.”

Cruz was released on $34,000 bond, and a few weeks later posted a photo alongside Caraballo in Miami.

As Cruz ascended in the Pirates organization, the accident was mentioned in news reports but quickly went away. On Aug. 30, 2021, Cruz had his next court appearance conducted virtually. Prosecutors still had the chance to pursue charges, but with the families of the victims not involved, the judge dismissed the case. Cruz made his major league debut 33 days later.

This story was underreported at the time, probably because very few people knew who Cruz was when he had yet to debut in the majors. Nevertheless, the new details uncovered by ProPublica are troubling and certainly demand answers from both Cruz and the Pirates.

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