Former firefighter faces 14 charges in deadly Queens crash, now being held behind bars

An off-duty firefighter accused in a deadly Queens crash appeared in court Thursday. Michael Pena, 28, is now being held behind bars after previously being out on bail. He faces a slew of charges after allegedly driving drunk and high and fatally crashing into another car, killing the driver. In a 14-count indictment, Pena is charged with manslaughter, assault, operating a motor vehicle under the influence and impaired, reckless driving and more. According to prosecutors, on Feb. 26 at approximately 4:15 a.m., Pena blew through a red light at the intersection of Northern Boulevard and 107th Street and slammed in Justin Diaz's car. Pena was driving at 83 mph, more than three times the speed limit, at the time of the crash, prosecutors said, and had a blood alcohol content of .156 - the legal limit is .008. He also allegedly had cocaine and marijuana in his system, according to prosecutors.  "He is a dangerous person"In court, prosecutors made note of Pena's prior arrests and 25 speeding tickets from school zone cameras. "Drunk, drugged and reckless driving are dire threats to everyone on our shared roadways. As alleged, the defendant made the selfish decision to drink, use drugs and speed down Northern Boulevard at more than three times the posted limit when he slammed into another car, killing the driver. The defendant has now been indicted on serious charges as my office continues to seek justice for the victim and his loved ones," Queens DA Melinda Katz said. "He is a dangerous person who should have never been on these streets," Diaz's brother Franklin said. Pena had been out on bail since the crash, but additional charges have since been added, which include driving an unregistered vehicle and allegedly obstructing his license plate. He has been fired from the FDNY. Pena entered a not guilty plea, and is now being held behind bars. He is expected back in court on May 15. "You don't determine the guilt or innocence on an arraignment, and the judge should have, in our our opinion, continued the bail the way it was," Pena's attorney said outside court. "My son Justin will no longer have a future""His life continues, no matter how much prison time he gets. My son Justin will no longer have a future," Justin's father said. Diaz, 23, was on his way to work at LaGuardia Airport when he was struck. He had just earned a degree in aeronautics.   "On his day off, they called him for overtime, and he never said no. That's the type of person Justin was. Justin was always willing to help out the next person, that's how big and kindhearted he was," Justin's father said.