CANANDAIGUA, NY — New York State Police arrested a Victor man following an investigation into the death of an 18-year-old woman last summer.
Ariel Ceja, 32, of Victor, was taken into custody Dec. 18 by troopers from the SP Canandaigua barracks.
The arrest stems from the death of Maria Cecilia De Jesus-Garcia, 18, who was found unresponsive Aug. 5, 2024, at a residence on Winding Creek Way in the town of Victor, Ontario County.
State Police and emergency services responded to the scene, where De Jesus-Garcia was pronounced dead.
An autopsy determined the cause of death to be complications of acute ethanol intoxication.
State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation conducted interviews and reviewed surveillance footage from Adelita’s Mexican Cocina and Tequila, where De Jesus-Garcia had been employed.
Investigators determined De Jesus-Garcia last consumed alcohol at the restaurant and that alcoholic beverages were served to her while she was under the legal drinking age.
The Ontario County Grand Jury returned an indictment against Ceja.
Ceja was charged with criminally negligent homicide, an E felony, and unlawful dealing with a child in the first degree – alcohol, an A misdemeanor.
He was processed at SP Canandaigua and transported to the Ontario County Jail pending arraignment.
