Ravena man pleads guilty in 2025 fatal crash case

Video features NEWS10's coverage from October 2025. GLENMONT, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Albany County District Attorney's Office confirmed that Jacob Snide of Ravena pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter on Friday morning during court proceedings in a 2025 fatal crash case. Snide, 34, was taken into custody last October. Snide admitted to driving recklessly on Route 9W near Corning Hill Road in Glenmont on July 14, 2025, including crossing over the road's centerline. He confessed that his driving resulted in a collision with 32-year-old motorcyclist Patrick LaFortune Jr. LaFortune was tended to at the scene before being taken to Albany Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries. Snide was arrested by Bethlehem Police on a sealed indictment just under three months after the crash. "This case is a stark reminder of New York’s antiquated impaired driving laws and the DruggedDriving loopholes that handcuff us in securing stronger sentences," Albany County District Attorney Lee Kindlon stated. "Under current law, we cannot hold a driver fully accountable unless the substance involved happens to appear on an outdated list written years ago, regardless of how impaired that driver actually was. We will honor the memory of Patrick, and other victims, by continuing to push for legislative reforms, including the Deadly Driving Bill, so that no other family in Albany County has to deal with this same gap in the law." Snide was ordered to be held at the Albany County Jail ahead of his sentencing scheduled for September 10. He's expected to face up to 12 years in state prison.