Minor league baseball player Oneil Cruz got in a car accident Tuesday that left three people dead.
Cruz is one of the best minor league prospects the Pittsburgh Pirates have, TMZ reported. He was uninjured in the car accident, which took place in Cruz’s native Dominican Republic.
Three people died as a result of the accident. According to TMZ, the people were riding a motorcycle which had its lights off. Cruz came up behind them in his Jeep and hit the motorcycle. Both vehicles were in the left lane heading in the same direction.
Cruz had alcohol in his system when the crash occurred, multiple outlets reported.
According to USA Today, police detained Cruz at the scene. He has a hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
The crash occurred around 1 a.m. It was past the curfew set by the government of the Dominican Republic because of the pandemic.
Cruz may face up to five years in prison.
“The Pirates are aware of the tragic accident in the Dominican Republic involving Oneil Cruz,” Pirates senior vice president of communications Brian Warecki said in a statement obtained by USA Today. “We have been in contact with Oneil and he is cooperating fully with the local authorities. We will provide an update as more information becomes available.”
The shortstop batted .298 with eight home runs at three minor-league levels last season, according to the New York Post. He took part in the Pirates’ Double-A satellite camp this summer.
