Police had no additional details regarding the car crash that involved a Bentley convertible and a BMW coupe on 6th Avenue and 16th Street early yesterday morning, but the Post spoke with one of the passengers of the BMW, who confirmed what the NYPD's Breathalyzer had already registered. "I think [Gil] was drunk," the passenger said, referring to 28-year-old Arnaldo Gil, who was charged with DWI after the crash. "I know he was."
Eight people were injured in the crash, but none of the the injuries were life-threatening. "I don't know if he ran a red light, but the front ends of the cars smashed together," said the passenger, who identified himself as "John." He and a coworker accepted a ride from Gil after they met him at Down the Hatch. Gil, a resident of Miami who is in the Marine Reserve, was held on $10,000 bail, and his attorney argued at his arraignment that faulty brakes caused the crash.
The driver of the Bentley, 48-year-old Joel Antoine, was also charged with DWI, and told police that he received the $200,000 Bentley from his parents as a law school graduation gift. Hours after the crash, someone apparently stuck a note under its windshield offering to buy it for $25,000.
