Ridge Hannemann Alkonis (born 1988) is a United States Navy lieutenant who caused a fatal car crash in Fujinomiya in May 2021 that resulted in the deaths of two Japanese citizens.

A Japanese court found Alkonis, who at the time was a weapons officer aboard the USS Benfold at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, guilty of negligent driving in 2022 and sentenced him to a three-year prison term.

[8][9] At trial, Alkonis said he had been suffering from "acute mountain sickness" and that about five minutes before the crash "I felt my body get weak, and my car drifted out of the lane, but I was able to quickly correct it.

Alkonis stated that his wife Brittany had also been feeling nauseated from the changes in elevation, leading her to lean her seat back and doze off shortly before the accident.

In October 2021, the Shizuoka District Court sentenced Alkonis to three years in prison for negligent driving resulting in death and injury, declaring that he should have pulled over once he felt drowsy.

The accident report states that Alkonis' wife, Brittany, told the responding military officers that her husband "had fallen asleep at the wheel of the vehicle" and that they both "woke up when they felt the impact."

[7] Although Alkonis pled guilty, he requested a lenient sentence based on the argument that he was suffering from acute mountain sickness—a condition brought on by the reduced levels of oxygen found at higher altitudes that causes dizziness, fatigue and headaches.

Peter Bärtsch, a specialist in high-altitude illnesses at Heidelberg University in Germany, told The New York Times that a sudden loss of consciousness because of mountain sickness would not have been possible under the circumstances.

But Defense Department officials have said they respect the Japanese legal process, and last month said they would cut off pay and benefits for the service member and his family at the end of December.

[23] The ruling was also criticized by the Wall Street Journal's Editorial Board, and over 30 Members of Congress, who expressed "deep concern" in a letter to President Biden that Japan had refused Alkonis basic due process.

[27][28] News writer Jim Swift criticized the move as reckless in a The Bulwark op-ed, and noted that Lee would have limited power to make good on his threat.