Five people were killed after a car avoiding police collided with another vehicle full of teenagers in Yonkers, New York on Tuesday night.
Police initially tried to pull out a white Infiniti sedan around noon. 21:23, who was driving in an “irregular manner” when the driver ran away, Yonkers police said Wednesday. The department said that although officers “released and did not pursue” the driver, the car continued to accelerate “beyond reckless speed.”
Infiniti collided with a Nissan occupied by four 18-year-old men at an intersection at a force that caused Nissan to split in half, police said. Teenagers died on the spot while the driver, a 36-year-old resident of Mount Vernon, was taken to a nearby hospital.
The man identified as Devon Haywood later died of his injuries.
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano called the crash “nothing short of tragic” in a statement released by police Wednesday.
“Four young lives were interrupted by an individual’s ruthlessness,” Spano said. “Let this be a lesson to anyone who drives at excessive speeds – it puts not only your life in danger, but also the innocent lives that you share the road with.”
Police identified the young men killed in the crash as Brandon Sierra, Randy Brisbane, Tamari Watkins and Anthony Cruz. Cruz was a graduate of Riverside High School, and the other three teens were graduates of Saunders Trades and Technical High School.
Steven Mazzola, principal at Saunders Trades and Technical, characterized the school as a “tight society” in a statement issued Wednesday.
“Last night, the Saunders family lost four amazing young men in a terrible accident; Randy, Tamari, Brandon and Anthony will be missed, but will forever live in the heart of any person who has been fortunate to be a member of the Saunders family. , “Said Mazzola.
Authorities are conducting both an internal and criminal investigation into the accident, according to Yonkers Police Commissioner John Mueller.
