The driver of a car police said was previously reported stolen was killed in a pre-dawn accident Tuesday in Brooklyn -- when the car slammed into a van belonging to the New York City medical examiner's office.A front-seat passenger in the stolen car also was killed.The crash occurred at 3:09 a.m. at the intersection of 44th Street and Fort Hamilton Parkway near the border of Sunset Park and Borough Park.
The force of the collision between the 1995 Nissan Altima and the medical examiner's van flipped the van, according to New York City police.The occupants of the medical examiner's van -- the driver and one occupant -- were treated at what police called area hospitals, where they are in stable condition.There were five occupants in the Altima, police said.The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. A female passenger riding in the front seat was taken to Maimonides Hospital, where she also was pronounced dead, police said.The three other passengers in the Altima were taken to Lutheran Hospital.All are listed in stable condition, according to police.The investigation is on-going, police said Tuesday. But, it was learned, the gray Altima had been reported stolen sometime on Saturday.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Plainview teen killed while speeding
A 16-year-old Plainview boy with a learner's permit died early Saturday when he lost control of his friend's car while trying to find out "how fast it would go," Nassau police said.Brian Assa, a Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK High School junior, was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after the 1:50 a.m. crash in Woodbury, police said.A passenger, David Darvas, 17, also of Plainview, was taken to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow and admitted in critical condition. A family member said Darvas was in surgery Saturday afternoon.
While loved ones kept vigil for Darvas, Assa was remembered as a beloved teenager."He was absolutely amazing," said Vanessa Assa, Brian's 28-year-old sister. "Everybody loved him, his friends' parents, his teachers."According to Nassau County police, Assa was driving Darvas' 2001 Volkswagen Jetta north on Woodbury Road at a high speed.Darvas, who has a senior license, was in the front passenger's seat when the Jetta approached the Seaford Oyster Bay Expressway overpass and Assa lost control, police said.The Jetta drifted across the southbound lanes and onto a sidewalk before it hit a wall supporting the overpass. It continued and crashed into a LIPA pole before finally striking a tree, police said. Both teens were wearing seat belts, and neither alcohol nor drugs were involved, police said.After dropping off other friends, Assa and Darvas were attempting to see "how fast it would go," said Nassau Det. Michael Fleming."This was simply a gross misjudgment," Fleming said.Police found 300 feet of skid marks at the crash scene but hadn't determined the car's crash speed.At the Assa family's home on Spector Lane, Brian's father, Jerry Assa, 55, said his son's friends called him early Saturday after the crash.He said he rushed to the scene but police stopped him."They wouldn't let us near it," Assa said of the wreck. "Electrical wires were down."Assa said witnesses had told him his son wasn't driving, information contradictory to the police account of the crash."They didn't know who was who for sure," Assa said of emergency workers who freed the teens from the wreck.At NUMC, Darvas' family and about 10 students gathered on the second floor to await news of his condition.Wayne Richards, of Plainview, a relative of the Darvas family, said the boy's parents weren't commenting because their son just had surgery.Brian Assa was a soccer player who made the varsity as a junior, his father said. But a knee injury kept him from playing this past season."He loved it," Jerry Assa said. "He played multiple positions. Mostly, he loved playing halfback."Sherry Gordon was one of the visitors to the Assa home yesterday to pay respects. She said her son, Brian Gordon, was friends with Brian Assa."This kid didn't have a bad bone in his body, a heart as big as they come," Gordon said.Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District spokesman Robert Zimmerman said the district would offer counseling to students and staff when school opens on Tuesday.
While loved ones kept vigil for Darvas, Assa was remembered as a beloved teenager."He was absolutely amazing," said Vanessa Assa, Brian's 28-year-old sister. "Everybody loved him, his friends' parents, his teachers."According to Nassau County police, Assa was driving Darvas' 2001 Volkswagen Jetta north on Woodbury Road at a high speed.Darvas, who has a senior license, was in the front passenger's seat when the Jetta approached the Seaford Oyster Bay Expressway overpass and Assa lost control, police said.The Jetta drifted across the southbound lanes and onto a sidewalk before it hit a wall supporting the overpass. It continued and crashed into a LIPA pole before finally striking a tree, police said. Both teens were wearing seat belts, and neither alcohol nor drugs were involved, police said.After dropping off other friends, Assa and Darvas were attempting to see "how fast it would go," said Nassau Det. Michael Fleming."This was simply a gross misjudgment," Fleming said.Police found 300 feet of skid marks at the crash scene but hadn't determined the car's crash speed.At the Assa family's home on Spector Lane, Brian's father, Jerry Assa, 55, said his son's friends called him early Saturday after the crash.He said he rushed to the scene but police stopped him."They wouldn't let us near it," Assa said of the wreck. "Electrical wires were down."Assa said witnesses had told him his son wasn't driving, information contradictory to the police account of the crash."They didn't know who was who for sure," Assa said of emergency workers who freed the teens from the wreck.At NUMC, Darvas' family and about 10 students gathered on the second floor to await news of his condition.Wayne Richards, of Plainview, a relative of the Darvas family, said the boy's parents weren't commenting because their son just had surgery.Brian Assa was a soccer player who made the varsity as a junior, his father said. But a knee injury kept him from playing this past season."He loved it," Jerry Assa said. "He played multiple positions. Mostly, he loved playing halfback."Sherry Gordon was one of the visitors to the Assa home yesterday to pay respects. She said her son, Brian Gordon, was friends with Brian Assa."This kid didn't have a bad bone in his body, a heart as big as they come," Gordon said.Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District spokesman Robert Zimmerman said the district would offer counseling to students and staff when school opens on Tuesday.
Freeport man killed in crash with van
A Freeport man died Sunday night when his car sped through a red light at the intersection of Atlantic and South Bayview Avenues in Freeport and was hit by a van, the police said.James Lachere, 40, of South Ocean Avenue in Freeport, was driving east on Atlantic Avenue at 7:03 p.m. Sunday when his 1992 Saturn was hit by a Chevrolet van driven by Tito Centeno, 33, of Hampton Place in Freeport, Suffolk county police said.Centeno had the green light as he headed south through the intersection, the police said.
Lachere was pulled from his car and brought to South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside where he was pronounced dead at 7:38 p.m.The driver of the van and his six passengers were taken to area hospitals by Freeport, Baldwin, Merrick, Nassau County Fire and Nassau County Police Department ambulances. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening.Both vehicles were impounded for brake and safety tests, homicide detectives said.
Lachere was pulled from his car and brought to South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside where he was pronounced dead at 7:38 p.m.The driver of the van and his six passengers were taken to area hospitals by Freeport, Baldwin, Merrick, Nassau County Fire and Nassau County Police Department ambulances. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening.Both vehicles were impounded for brake and safety tests, homicide detectives said.
DEER PARK: Driver dies after losing control of car
Deer Park man died after he apparently lost control of his car and it crossed at high speed into oncoming traffic on Bay Shore Road in Deer Park, Suffolk police said yesterday.Ivan Gonzalez, 31, was traveling west on Bay Shore Road near Bluebell Lane in his 1991 Honda at 8:55 p.m. Sunday when he struck a 2008 Toyota headed in the opposite direction, police said.He died at the scene.
The other driver, Amy Chaves, 34, of Mastic Beach, and her stepson, 13, who was a passenger in her car, were taken by North Babylon Fire Rescue to Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.The Suffolk medical examiner's office will perform a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of Ivan Gonzalez's death. Both vehicles were impounded for safety checks.
The other driver, Amy Chaves, 34, of Mastic Beach, and her stepson, 13, who was a passenger in her car, were taken by North Babylon Fire Rescue to Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.The Suffolk medical examiner's office will perform a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of Ivan Gonzalez's death. Both vehicles were impounded for safety checks.
Dad: Plainview teen killed was cautious driver
Between hugs and condolences from friends, Jerry Assa recalled how he cautioned his son, Brian, about the dangers of speeding when behind the wheel of a car."I spoke to him so many times," Assa said Saturday, a little more than 12 hours after his 16-year-old son died in a crash in Woodbury that police said involved a high speed. "I even told him I use cruise control so I don't speed," said Assa, speaking outside his Plainview home.Yesterday, David Darvas, 17, of Plainview, who was being driven in his 2001 Volkswagen Jetta by classmate Brian Assa, remained in Nassau University Medical Center in critical condition. Wayne Richards, a family friend from Plainview, said Darvas' condition had improved after surgery on Saturday. Among other injuries, Darvas suffered a broken leg, he said.
Assa, who got a learner's permit just after his October birthday, was doing well as a novice driver, Jerry Assa said. "He was cautious. I was proud of him."But the teen wasn't cautious enough Saturday morning, police said. The crashed occurred about 1:50 a.m. Saturday when Assa, a Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK High School student, lost control of the car on North Woodbury Road, police said.The car slammed into an overpass support, a utility pole and a tree. Brian Assa was pronounced dead at the scene.Det. Lt. Michael Fleming of Nassau police Homicide Squad said police hadn't determined how fast the car was going. Police said they do know that the two friends had taken the car out "to see how fast they could drive," he said Sunday. "These are all good kids, good students, whose lack of experience, combined with their poor judgment, caused this tragedy to result."As a permit holder, Assa was prohibited from driving without a licensed adult driver. "You can't have a 17-year-old supervising a 16-year-old," Fleming said.
Assa, who got a learner's permit just after his October birthday, was doing well as a novice driver, Jerry Assa said. "He was cautious. I was proud of him."But the teen wasn't cautious enough Saturday morning, police said. The crashed occurred about 1:50 a.m. Saturday when Assa, a Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK High School student, lost control of the car on North Woodbury Road, police said.The car slammed into an overpass support, a utility pole and a tree. Brian Assa was pronounced dead at the scene.Det. Lt. Michael Fleming of Nassau police Homicide Squad said police hadn't determined how fast the car was going. Police said they do know that the two friends had taken the car out "to see how fast they could drive," he said Sunday. "These are all good kids, good students, whose lack of experience, combined with their poor judgment, caused this tragedy to result."As a permit holder, Assa was prohibited from driving without a licensed adult driver. "You can't have a 17-year-old supervising a 16-year-old," Fleming said.
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