Three Teens Killed, Four Others Hospitalized in Devastating Highway Crash

Three teenagers were killed and four other people were hospitalized after a violent late-night crash on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn.

The deadly wreck happened around 11:33 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25, near 86th Street in Bay Ridge, according to the New York Police Department.

Police said two SUVs were traveling eastbound when the crash unfolded.

Investigators believe one of the SUVs, driven by 18-year-old Huzayfah Makharesh, was traveling in the center lane before moving into the right lane to pass a slower vehicle.

After getting behind another slower-moving vehicle, Makharesh reportedly began to slow down. Police said the SUV was then struck from behind by a second SUV.

The impact sent the teens’ vehicle crashing into a guardrail, where it spun around and flipped over.

Makharesh and two passengers, 17-year-old Konstantin Gerantidi and 16-year-old Abdul Rehman, were thrown from the SUV, according to WNBC.

All three were taken to the hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

Authorities said the three teens who died were not wearing seatbelts.

Two other passengers in the same SUV, ages 18 and 16, were wearing seatbelts and survived the crash.

According to WABC, the surviving teens told investigators they had stopped at a gas station and were on their way home when the crash happened.

Two women in their 40s who were traveling in the other SUV were also taken to the hospital.

All four survivors are expected to recover.

Rehman’s family said the 16-year-old was getting ready to begin his senior year of high school and would have turned 17 in September.

“I was shocked,” his cousin, Amir Ramzan, told WNBC. “He was like my brother.”

Police are now investigating what led to the deadly crash, including whether speed, driver experience and seatbelt use played a role.

WNBC reported that Makharesh had previously received a summons for speeding and an unsafe lane change in January. His license had also reportedly been suspended last year after he failed to respond to summonses involving speeding and driving on the shoulder, but it was reinstated in November.

Authorities have requested toxicology testing on the driver as part of the investigation.

No arrests had been made as of Thursday, Aug. 27, and the NYPD said the investigation remains ongoing.