The surveillance video shows a car that crossed the avenue like a comet and burst into flames when it collided with an oncoming sedan, breaking it completely in half.
In the sedan were four 18-year-old high school seniors and residents of Yonkers, Westchester County, where the accident occurred Tuesday night. All four died at the scene, Yonkers police said. The driver of the high-speed car, a 36-year-old man, was removed from his 2009 Infiniti and transported to a trauma center, where he died of his injuries.
Just before the accident, police observed Infiniti, which was erratically moving in the South Broadway and Prospect Street area of Yonkers, and tried to stop it in front of Riverdale Avenue. The driver, the 36-year-old man, stopped briefly, but immediately accelerated “beyond reckless speeds” on the avenue as he approached the intersection on Culver Street, police said.
At the same time, a silver Nissan, occupied by the four young people, was entering the intersection. The high-speed car collided with Nissan, “resulting in catastrophic damage to both vehicles,” said a police statement on Wednesday, adding: “The force of the impact has split the Nissan in half.”
Police identified the four young men at Nissan as Brandon Sierra, Randy Brisbane, Tamari Watkins and Anthony Cruz, all of whom have recently graduated from Saunders Trades and Technical High School in Yonkers. The driver of the sedan was identified as Devon Haywood of Mount Vernon, NY
Maria Delgado, 74, who lives near the crime scene, was on the phone, about to take out the trash, when she heard the deafening noise of the knock and went to her window.
“I thought it was a shooting and then I realized it was an accident,” she said.
She added: “I was very shocked. I’ve never seen an accident like this. I have never seen a car so completely divided. Oh my God.”
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said the tragic accident was a reminder of the dangers of speeding.
“Four young lives were interrupted by an individual’s recklessness,” he said in a statement. “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.