The man accused in a wrong-way crash that killed two teens on Long Island pleaded not guilty.
Amandeep Singh is facing a number of charges including vehicular homicide, DWI, and leaving the scene of an accident, all stemming from a May 3 crash in Jericho.
Family members of the crash victims filed into court on Tuesday when Singh, 34, was formally charged for the killing of two teens, and injuring two others.
"We're here today because two teenagers died and two other teenagers were injured when the vehicle they were in was struck by a 7,000-lb. pickup truck," District Attorney Anne Donnelly said.
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The Nassau County DA said Singh was going the wrong way at 95 miles an hour when he crashed his truck into a car, killing Ethan Falkowitz and Drew Hassenbein.
The two 14-year-old boys were friends and played tennis together. Two other friends in the car survived the crash.
Singh pleaded not guilty at court appearance on Tuesday. DA Donnelly says Singh took off after the crash.
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"Police officers later found the defendant hiding near a dumpster in the parking lot of a shopping center near the crash. He attempted to evade apprehension and prosecution," the DA said.
Prosecutors also claim Singh was drunk four hours after the wreck and had cocaine in his system. They allege he began drinking at a party in the afternoon on the day of the crash. Police reportedly found an empty tequila bottle in his truck.
"He had indicated that he had been out with some females and he did not want law enforcement to inform his wife of that," Assistant District Attorney Michael Bushwack said.
Singh's family was in court to show their support. The 34-year-old driver was led back to jail where he is being held without bail.
"Mr. Singh is a citizen with a job, a company, a family with roots in the community, and there was bail, and is bail that would assure his return to court," James Kosouros, Singh's attorney, said.
Singh is expected back in court at the end of July.
