Driver Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Fatal Spring Valley Crash That Killed 4-Year-Old Goldy Eisenbach

By Y.M. Lowy

Sruli Eisenbach Speaks at Sentencing of Driver in Fatal Spring Valley Crash That Took His Daughter’s Life

A Spring Valley man was sentenced in Rockland County Court after pleading guilty to vehicular homicide in a 2025 crash that claimed the life of four-year-old Goldy Eisenbach. The driver, Axel I. Lopez-Santiago, 41, was sentenced to 12 years in state prison after pleading guilty to an eight-count indictment. The sentence was handed down by Kevin F. Russo in Rockland County Court.

Prosecutors said that on June 14, 2025, Lopez-Santiago was driving recklessly and at high speed on Old Nyack Turnpike in Spring Valley when his vehicle crossed the double yellow line, left the roadway, and struck pedestrians near the entrance to Kennedy Park before crashing into a tree.

Three people were struck in the crash. A four-year-old girl died from her injuries. A 31-year-old man and a five-year-old boy were seriously injured.

Investigators determined that the defendant was intoxicated at the time of the collision. Court records also show Lopez-Santiago had a previous conviction for driving while intoxicated in 2018.

The heart of the sentencing hearing belonged to Yisroel Eisenbach, who addressed the court in a quiet but powerful statement that left the courtroom deeply moved.

Eisenbach spoke first about his daughter, Goldy.

He described her as a child who carried light with her, saying she was always smiling and wanted the people around her to smile too.

“Goldy lived for 1,533 days,” he told the court. “Every one of those seconds was precious. Every one of those seconds mattered.”

“There is no punishment that can restore what was taken from us,” he said. “The empty chair at our table will remain forever.”

“This was not an accident. It was a choice,” he said, pointing to the defendant’s prior DWI conviction.

“I do not stand here filled with hatred,” he said. “For my own heart and for my family, I choose forgiveness.”

“Forgiveness does not remove consequences,” he said. “Forgiveness does not lessen the value of Goldy’s life.”

Speaking about his family’s ongoing pain, Eisenbach said the loss remains with them every day. “Every morning we wake up to the same reality — she is gone. Every night we go to sleep with the same ache.”

In closing, he turned directly to the meaning of the case. “Goldy mattered,” he said. “Her life mattered. I ask that the sentence reflect that her life had immeasurable value.”

The case was investigated by the Spring Valley Police Department with assistance from the Ramapo Police Department and the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office. The sentencing represents accountability for the reckless choices that led to Goldy’s death.