{"id":3599,"date":"2025-10-15T15:57:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T15:57:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/3599\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T15:57:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T15:57:12","slug":"brothers-age-26-and-27-were-inseparable-in-life-they-died-together-in-staten-island-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/3599\/","title":{"rendered":"Brothers, age 26 and 27, were inseparable in life. They died together in Staten Island crash"},"content":{"rendered":"

Update: \u2018He was the light in the room.\u2019 Dad mourns son, 25, killed in Staten Island car wreck >> <\/a><\/p>\n

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Spending time with each other, as well as their vast network of friends, was something that brothers Joshua Mendez, 26, and Jose Pazos, 27, often did as popular young people who were frequently on the go.<\/p>\n

It was no surprise that the New Brighton siblings decided to take Mendez\u2019s beloved hot rod for a drive with close friend Raymond Irizarry, 25, early on Sunday morning.<\/p>\n

That drive ended in a single-car crash on the New Jersey-bound Staten Island Expressway just before 4:20 a.m. that cost all three men their lives<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey just always looked out for each other,\u201d close friend Julia Cruz recalled. \u201cJose always was like, \u2018No, I\u2019m not leaving my brother.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

\"crashPhotos of brothers Jose Pazos and Joshua Mendez in younger days are displayed on a vigil table in their home in New Brighton.(Advance\/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)<\/p>\n

Friends and family described Mendez and Pazos as inseparable, with Pazos rarely leaving his younger brother\u2019s side. <\/p>\n

Family was everything to the siblings, friends said.<\/p>\n

According to a GoFundMe page created to help with burial expenses<\/a>, the brothers came from a large family with five other siblings. <\/p>\n

They grew up in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn before moving to Staten Island 16 years ago.<\/p>\n

The brothers shared passions for football, Bachata music, and high-end fashion. Their sneaker collection alone boasted more than 60 pairs, complemented by a love of gold chains.<\/p>\n

\"crashA photo of Jose Pazos, 27, stands on a vigil table inside his home.(Advance\/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)<\/p>\n

The GoFundMe also noted that Oct. 10 was meant to be a day of celebration for the family, as it marked Pazos\u2019 28th birthday and the expected due date of Mendez\u2019s son. <\/p>\n

Mendez leaves behind a daughter, while Pazos, though childless, was a proud \u201cTio\u201d to 10 nieces and nephews.<\/p>\n

The family holds hope that Mendez\u2019s unborn son, Joshua Jr., will carry on the brothers\u2019 legacy, a child they believe may be \u201ca reincarnation of both of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"crashHere is a family photo with Mirna Mendez, mom and her 7 sons as they celebrate a grandsons birthday.
\n(Courtesy the Mendez family) STATEN ISLAND ADVANCELosing her sons has been devastating<\/p>\n

Mirna Mendez, their mother, shared one of her final joyful memories with her sons just days before the crash: Joshua dancing and laughing with loved ones.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last time we were together, Saturday, Joshua, Jose, my husband and their friends \u2014 Joshua was so happy,\u201d the mother somberly recalled. \u201cHe danced and was laughing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pazos was remembered by Cruz as deeply caring and forgiving. Despite their romantic breakup, she said he never held a grudge and, along with his mother, always offered her a place to stay during difficult times.<\/p>\n

\"crashJoshua Mendez and his girlfriend, Kimberly Lopez, who is expecting a child soon.
\n(Courtesy the Mendez family) STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE<\/p>\n

Both men, who were employed by Amazon, were described as hardworking. Mendez was a car enthusiast who also loved video games. His mother said he was outgoing, friendly, and always smiling, traits that made him well-liked by many.<\/p>\n

Pazos was a passionate football fan, especially of the New England Patriots.<\/p>\n

\"crashPhoto of Raymond Irizarry in younger days. (Courtesy the Mendez family)STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE<\/p>\n

The third victim of the crash, the siblings\u2019 good friend, Irizarry, also a New Brighton resident, was remembered by Mirna Mendez as a \u201cgood boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whenever he came over to hang out, he\u2019d always greet her with the utmost respect. <\/p>\n

A fundraiser for Joshua Mendez and Jose Pazos\u2019 funeral expenses can be found at gofundme.com\/f\/joshua-mendez-jose-pazos<\/a>. <\/p>\n

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Update: \u2018He was the light in the room.\u2019 Dad mourns son, 25, killed in Staten Island car wreck…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3600,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":["post-3599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3599"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3599\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}