A 17-year-old charged in a Valentine’s Day high-speed crash that killed an elderly couple in Pembroke Pines was bonded out of jail Saturday after a Broward County judge set bail at $350,000 during an emotional court hearing Friday.
Albert Oswaldo Yanez Quintana is accused of driving recklessly on Feb. 14, when investigators say he sped through a residential area and slammed into a car making a left turn at NW 12th Street and Dykes Road.
The crash killed Hugo and Patricia Cardona, an elderly couple remembered in court as the heart of their family.
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Broward judge imposes strict conditions on release
During Friday’s bond hearing, Yanez Quintana was granted release under strict conditions, including pretrial supervision, electronic monitoring, a no-drive order, and restrictions that bar him from leaving Broward County.
Family members of the victims pleaded with the court, describing the devastating impact of the crash.
“They were the center of our family,” said their son, Hugo Cardona. “We have a big emptiness. We believe justice will be delivered in this case.”
Their grandson, Gabriel Cardona, said he was preparing to call them that day with good news when he learned they had been killed.
“You stole two people from my world,” he said. “This is not a racetrack — it’s a community where people live.”
Yanez Quintana faces two counts of vehicular homicide, one count of reckless driving causing serious bodily injury, and four counts of reckless driving causing property or personal damage.
