BAY RIDGE, Brooklyn (WABC) — Three teenagers were killed and several others were injured in a violent crash on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn late Tuesday night after a Cadillac Escalade overturned and several occupants were thrown from the vehicle, police said.
The crash happened around 11:35 p.m. on the eastbound Belt Parkway near 65th Street in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn.
Investigators said the survivors told police they had just left a gas station and were on their way home.
Police say the 18-year-old driver of a 2002 Cadillac Escalade appeared to be traveling at a high rate of speed when he moved from the center lane into the right lane and then braked for slower traffic ahead.
A 2024 Honda HR-V struck the SUV from behind, sending the Escalade into a guardrail. Police said the vehicle spun and overturned.
Three occupants of the Escalade, ages 16, 17 and 18, were ejected onto the roadway and later died at area hospitals.
They were later identified as 18-year-old Huzayfah Makharesh, 17-year-old Konstantin Gerantidi and 16-year-old Abdul Rehman.
Police said none of them were wearing their seatbelts.
Two surviving occupants of the SUV were wearing seat belts and were taken to Maimonides Medical Center in stable condition.
The Honda was driven by a 47-year-old driver and a 43-year-old passenger. Both women were taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn and were listed in stable condition.
Police said the 18-year-old Escalade driver had a valid license. He had previously received six summonses, including citations for speeding, driving on the shoulder and an unsafe lane change. Authorities said he had also previously had his license temporarily suspended after failing to appear in court on traffic violations.
Family members of the injured victims gathered at the hospital as investigators worked to determine the exact cause of the crash. The investigation remains ongoing.
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