Five people died after a man involved in a high-speed chase collided with another car full of teenagers in Yonkers, New York, on Tuesday night.
Police initially tried to stop a white Infiniti sedan at around 9:23 pm that it was driving “erratically” when the driver sped away, Yonkers police said on Wednesday. The police chased the car, which continued to accelerate “beyond reckless speeds”.
Infiniti collided with a Nissan occupied by four 18-year-old men at a crossroads of a force that caused the Nissan to split in half, police said. The teenagers died at the scene 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 accident “nothing short of tragic” in a statement released by police on Wednesday.
“Four young people’s lives were interrupted by an individual’s recklessness,” said Spano. “May this serve as a lesson for everyone who drives at excessive speeds – it not only puts your life at risk, but also the innocent lives with whom you share the road.
Police identified young people killed in the accident as Brandon Sierra, Randy Brisbane, Tamari Watkins and Anthony Cruz. Authorities are conducting an internal and criminal investigation into the accident, according to Yonkers police commissioner John Mueller.
