The driver of the SUV that crashed on the Belt Parkway Tuesday night \u2014 killing him and two friends and injuring four other people \u2014 was supposed to be on vacation with his parents overseas, but decided to stay home to fill out his college applications instead, devastated family members said.<\/p>\n
Huzayfah Makharesh, 18, was behind the wheel of the black Cadillac Escalade, driving four other teenagers home from dinner in Bay Ridge, according to his uncle \u200aZakaria Algaheim. His parents had offered to take him to Egypt with them for a week, but he declined.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200aHe was supposed to go with them, but he said he needed to apply for Brooklyn College,\u201d Algaheim said, adding that he was a \u201clovely boy\u201d and a great student who was revered by his teachers.<\/p>\n
Police officials said the Escalade was in the center lane of the eastbound Belt Parkway around 11:30 p.m. when it had to brake quickly because of a slower car ahead of it, causing a Honda HR-V to rear-end it.<\/p>\n
Both vehicles lost control and hit the guardrail along the southern side of the Parkway, and police said the Escalade flipped over \u2013 ejecting Makharesh, 17-year-old Konstantin Gerantidi and 16-year-old Abdul Rehman onto the road. They were not wearing seatbelts, the NYPD said.<\/p>\n
Another 18-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy from the Escalade were taken to Maimonides Hospital in stable condition, police said. The 46-year-old woman who had been driving the Honda and her 44-year-old passenger were taken to NYU Langone Hospital\u2014Brooklyn in stable condition, where officials said they were also in stable condition.<\/p>\n
The three teenagers who died knew each other from their Brighton Beach, Brooklyn neighborhood, where they lived less than a mile apart. Relatives and community members described them all as diligent, respectful and responsible.<\/p>\n
Rehman\u2019s cousin, Amir Ramzan, said the teen had been working at the nearby Brighton Beach carnival for the summer.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200aHe was a great guy, actually. He was a very hardworking son, very cooperative and helpful to the others\u2026 everybody loves him a lot,\u201d Ramzan said, as relatives streamed out of their home on Brighton Fourth Terrace to head to the teen\u2019s funeral on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Maksim Nechiporuk, the superintendent at the nearby building where Gerantidi lived with his mother and sister, said he always saw the boy helping with laundry.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200aIf we needed a hand around, he would help us,\u201d Nechiporuk said.<\/p>\n