New Bedford man sentenced for negligent driving that killed Assonet woman

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WLNE) — A New Bedford man will spend the next two years in prison for his role in a car crash that killed a woman from Assonet, Massachusetts.

According to District Attorney Thomas Quinn, 51-year-old Christopher Noguera was convicted of motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation in connection to the 2022 death of Joy Swartzendruber.

Court documents say that around 2:30 a.m. on August 20, 2022, police responded to the area of Route 140 north in New Bedford after a 911 call about a car that hit a pedestrian.

Authorities determined that Noguera was driving northbound in his Ford F-150 when he crossed over into the breakdown lane and slammed into Swartzendruber, who was standing next to her Toyota sedan. She was pronounced dead on the scene.

Dash camera video from Noguera’s truck showed that Swartzendruber was clearly standing off the roadway when he first hit her. Her Toyota had all its lights on and was visible to other drivers.

The video further shows Noguera driving negligently during the minutes before the crash, drifting lane to lane and into the breakdown lane moments before the crash.

Noguera did remain on the scene and was not impaired or excessively speeding, however the jury found he was clearly driving negligently which directly led to the fatal accident.

Noguera was sentenced to two years in the Bristol County House of Corrections and will have his license revoked for 15 years.