Man charged with criminally negligent homicide

WHITE PLAINS -- A Port Chester man was arrested by Westchester County Police Tuesday and charged with two counts of criminally negligent homicide in the deaths of two friends who were killed when his car crashed on the Cross County Parkway in 2006.

Jose Luis Vargas, 20, of 71 Soundview Street in Port Chester was arrested by detectives from the Westchester County Department of Public Safety after a one year and nine month investigation. Vargas was also charged with third-degree assault and several vehicle and traffic violations.

On July 28, 2006, Vargas was driving a 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer on the eastbound Cross County Parkway when he lost control of the car and crashed near New Rochelle Road in the Town of Eastchester. Four friends were in the car at the time and two of them – Kemroy Isaacs, 17, and Kevin Rodriguez, 18 – were killed.

Vargas and two other friends – Lee Dragani, and Ricardo Chamba, who were 16 and 17 years old, respectively, at the time ¬ were injured in the motor vehicle accident.

The investigation and accident reconstruction were conducted by detectives from the Department of Public Safety along with the Westchester County Forensic Laboratory.