Two teenage boys lost their lives on Wednesday night, May 3, when an intoxicated truck driver crashed into their car on Long Island, New York.
The collision occurred around 10:30 p.m. when Amandeep Singh, 34, was driving his Dodge Ram the wrong way – south in the northbound lanes of North Broadway in the town of Jericho. The impact involved a 2019 Alfa Romeo carrying four male teenagers. Paramedics pronounced two 14-year-old boys dead at the scene.
Emergency services transported two other occupants of the sedan, aged 16 and 17, to a local hospital due to internal injuries. They were listed in stable condition. The collision didn’t end there, as the Alfa Romeo also struck a 2023 Volvo carrying another 16-year-old boy and a 49-year-old woman. Both individuals sustained only minor injuries and were treated at the scene.
The families of the deceased teenagers identified them as Ethan Falkowitz and Drew Hassenbein.
Their vehicle, which had transported them and two others from Roslyn after a tennis competition, suffered severe damage and was unrecognizable. Police have determined that the 17-year-old driver attempted to avoid the collision, but the right side, where the two 14-year-olds were seated, suffered a heavy impact.
Following the incident, authorities arrested Singh, who sustained minor injuries, and took him to a hospital. He faces multiple charges, including vehicular manslaughter in the first degree, aggravated vehicular homicide, manslaughter in the second degree, fleeing the scene of a fatal car accident, drunk driving, and two counts of second-degree assault. Singh was arraigned on Thursday, May 4, at the First District Court in Hempstead, where numerous friends and family members of the victims were in the courtroom.
During the court proceedings, Singh’s attorney, James Kousouros, acknowledged the tragedy caused by his client but emphasized that Singh was a law-abiding individual. The judge ordered Singh held without bail.
