Nivea I. Arce Rivera, a 56-year-old Puerto Rico Police officer from Toa Alta, was charged with reckless driving causing a death (article 5.07c) and failing to stop after a fatal traffic accident (article 4.02c) under Puerto Rico’s Law 22 on Vehicles and Traffic. Bayamón Highway Patrol Division agents filed the charges before Judge Irmarie Cintrón of the Bayamón Court of First Instance on Friday, November 6, 2026, after consulting prosecutor Carmen Iris Ortiz Rodríguez.
The judge found probable cause only on the reckless driving count and set bail at $10,000; Arce Rivera posted bail and was released under electronic monitoring. The charges stem from March 15, 2026, when, according to the investigation, Arce Rivera was driving on PR-2 in front of the Virgilio Dávila housing project in Bayamón and struck a pedestrian crossing the road.
The victim, Dianelys P. Ortiz López, 19, suffered grave injuries and died at a hospital. Her father, Efraín Ortiz, said he trusts justice will be done but expected the hit-and-run charge to stand, saying he believes the officer will get probation. Prosecutors told him she did not stop because she was afraid and went to the nearest police station. Agent Juan M. Sánchez Figueroa led the investigation.