State police say a deadly July Fourth accident on the Garden State Parkway may have been caused when a speeding car startling the driver of an SUV.
Two brothers and a neighbor died after being ejected from the back of an SUV that overturned twice in Monmouth County early Monday morning.
The victims have been identified as Chrystoph Iliopoulos, 13; Eric Colligan, 15; and Hlias Iliopoulos, 18, all of Staten Island. They were returning from a trip to Atlantic City when the accident happened.
Four other occupants were in the car at the time of the crash and suffered various degrees of injuries. They have been identified as the dead brothers' parents Dimitrios Iliopoulos, 54; Stavroula Iliopoulos, 51; the brothers' sister, Fotiny Iliopoulos, 20; and Fotiny's fiancee, Vincent Whiteaker, 25; all from Staten Island.
The two women were listed in critical condition Tuesday morning.
State Police Capt. Frank Davis says a car passing at a high speed may have scared the driver and caused him to lose control and slam into the guardrail.
The speeding car may have been black or dark-colored BMW or Mercedes-Benz.
The vehicle continued moving north along the guardrail and flipped over at least twice, police say.
As the car flipped, five of the passengers -- two women, Stavroula Iliopoulos and Fotiny Iliopoulos, and the three male teens -- were ejected onto the center median and the northbound local lanes. The three teens ejected from the SUV died, police said.
Speeding Car May Have Caused Crash That Killed 3 Teens
Two brothers and their friend died when they were ejected from the vehicle.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
