OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – The driver who crashed head-on into a Farmington Hills couple, killing them, learned how long he will spend in prison.
Angel Melendez-Ortiz, 37, of Romulus, was fleeing from police and driving a stolen pickup truck in the wrong direction when he crashed into Jen Ambrosio, 43, and Ryan Ambrosio, 45, of Farmington Hills.
The couple had six children. They were on the way home from a date night when they collided with the pickup truck. They were both pronounced dead at the scene.
Melendez-Ortiz was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree fleeing and eluding police, causing death, two counts of reckless driving causing death, two counts of operating a vehicle with a license that’s suspended/revoked/denied causing death and two counts of OWI causing death.
He was sentenced consecutively to 37-60 years in prison for the second-degree murder charges, and 10-15 years on counts three through 10, with those counts running concurrently with counts one and two.
This means he will face a minimum period of 74 years in prison.
“One sentence for the two second-degree homicides would be inappropriate in this instance,” the judge said as he sentenced Melendez-Ortiz.
He was also ordered to have no contact with the victim’s family.
During Melendez-Ortiz’s sentencing, two of Ryan’s sisters, Jennifer’s dad and her first cousin all read victim impact statements.
They remembered the impact that the couple had on their community and referenced the grief the family members and the couple’s six children have dealt with due to the deadly crash.
“These children were robbed of an entire lifetime of experiences,” said Kimberly Ambrosio, Ryan’s sister, who is now the guardian of the six children. The youngest child is four and the oldest is 10.
They all asked the court to sentence Melendez-Ortiz to life in prison or to the maximum sentence he could face.
This comes after Melendez-Ortiz pleaded no contest to all of his charges on May 13, 2025.
What led to the deadly wrong-way crash
Troopers were out on patrol when they saw a stolen Ford pickup truck at a gas station on 8 Mile Road.
Melendez-Ortiz, who was driving the truck, backed up and nearly hit the patrol vehicle before leaving the gas station.
The Romulus man allegedly fled from authorities as they tried to conduct a traffic stop.
He reportedly traveled at high speeds, exceeding 100 mph at times.
Authorities continued to pursue the driver onto the northbound Lodge Freeway. Melendez-Ortiz then got off the freeway at northbound Telegraph Road.
At this point, he turned his headlights off, did a U-turn over a median to head southbound on Telegraph Road, and then reentered the northbound lanes of the Lodge Freeway, heading in the wrong direction.
The wrong-way driver then hit a GMC Terrain near Civic Center Drive in Southfield, killing the Ambrosios. Melendez-Ortiz and his passenger, a 29-year-old Detroit woman, were hospitalized after the crash.