Authorities have identified the three teenage girls killed in a vehicle-obliterating wreck on Staten Island Sunday night, all riding in a Mustang whose driver shouldn't have been behind the wheel.
According to police, the victims who died -- 15-year-old Ashley Rodriguez, and siblings 16-year-old Fernanda and 15-year-old Jesie Gil -- were all passengers in the red sports car that another 16-year-old was driving when the vehicle and a black SUV collided at Hyland Boulevard and Richard Avenue shortly before 9 p.m.
The teen — who investigators say was speeding when he crashed into the SUV making a left turn — survived the crash which split the Mustang in half. He was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.
The uncle of the 16-year-old driver said the families are heartbroken, and his nephew suffered critical injuries and will now live knowing three of his friends will never go home.
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Transportation officials say Hyland Boulevard has one of the highest crash rates in New York City. A stretch of the road near Richard Avenue is notorious for crashes and is part of a re-design plan months in the making, the commissioner of the Department of Transportation said Monday.
"It should be a stark reminder that speeding and reckless driving have life threatening consequences for all New Yorkers," Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said.
City officials also recognize there were other factors that played into this crash, including speed and lack of seatbelts. Investigators said that the after getting split in half, the Mustang rolled further down the road, taking out a mailbox and clipping a tree. The mangled car came to a stop by a light pole.
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Driving laws in New York say anyone with a junior learner's permit, which would apply to the driver under age 17, must be accompanied by a guardian or driving instructor between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. unless traveling between work or school.
The 47-year-old man driving the black SUV is expected to survive, but also should not have been behind the wheel, and is now facing charges for driving with a suspended license. Four other passengers riding in the SUV suffered minor injuries.
