El Salvadorian national in ICE custody accused of Manslaughter in Massachusetts crash that led to deaths of two friends

BROCKTON – A Brockton man was arraigned today in Brockton Superior Court on two counts of Manslaughter in relation to the deaths of two men last November following a motor vehicle crash in Brockton, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz has announced.

32-year-old Mario Hernandez, an El Salvadorian national, is facing two counts of Manslaughter while Operating Under the Influence of Liquor and one count each of Reckless Operation of a Motor Vehicle and Intimidation. He was held on $100,000 cash bail and ordered to remain alcohol free and refrain from operating any motor vehicles. Hernandez was previously arraigned in Brockton District Court on related charges and held on $5,000 cash bail.

On November 14th at about 1:30 a.m., Brockton Police received reports of a crash involving two vehicles at the intersection of Centre Street and Quincy Street. First responders located a 2019 Infiniti Q50 engulfed in flames with occupants trapped inside the car, and a white box truck flipped over on its driver’s side. Occupants from both vehicles were transported to area hospitals for medical treatment. One of the passengers in the Infiniti — identified as 26-year-old Shane Spillane — was taken to Boston Medical Center South in Brockton where he was pronounced dead. Another passenger, 24-year-old Justin Pratt, died on November 23 from injuries sustained during the crash.

Surveillance footage from a nearby business showed the Infiniti travelling west on Centre Street, and the white truck travelling north on Quincy Street immediately prior to the crash. The footage shows the front of the Infiniti strike the driver’s side of the white truck at the middle of the intersection, apparently causing the truck to overturn onto its side. The Infiniti is observed to be engulfed in flames following the collision.

As a result of an ongoing Massachusetts State Police investigation, the PCDAO applied for criminal charges against Hernandez on March 12th in relation to the deaths of Spillane and Pratt. A subsequent grand jury investigation led to the Superior Court indictments at the center of today’s hearing.

According to a GoFundMe fundraiser, just 8 years ago, Shane’s older sister, Danielle, passed at 31 years old.

According to a second GoFundMe fundraiser, Pratt, was a friend of Spillane.

“He was a kind, compassionate, and deeply caring man who had a gift for keeping everyone around him laughing. Justin’s warmth, quick wit, and genuine heart made him someone people naturally gravitated toward. He loved hard, showed up for the people he cared about, and could turn even the hardest moments into something lighter with his humor.”

Hernandez is currently in ICE custody and is next scheduled to appear in Superior Court on October 5th for a pretrial hearing.