‘He had everything ahead of him’: Father of triplets killed after suspected drunk driver plows into NYC crowd

On Friday evening, May 15, a tragic accident on the streets of Upper Manhattan, New York, took two lives. In the immediate aftermath, conversations about whether the driver was inebriated and the death of a father in his early 30s who had just welcomed triplets and “had everything ahead of him” dominated the headlines.

The entire ordeal happened at around 6 p.m. The 61-year-old driver was in a black Mercedes near Amsterdam Avenue and West 109th Street in Morningside Heights. According to Yahoo, one eyewitness who was heading to the exact spot said the accident scene looked as horrific as a “Halloween set-up.”

There were two main eyewitnesses who were among the first at the scene of the accident: Kenny Wong and Lawrence. Wong, 63, actually believed that if he hadn’t taken an impromptu detour to buy a lottery ticket, he would have been killed too because the place the Mercedes crashed through was the storefront of the barbershop he hangs out at.

Wong revealed that while on his way to the barbershop, he heard a loud screech followed by a bang. So, like any responsible resident, he ran toward the crash. He found one person pinned under the car and others trying to help those who were harmed.

Lawrence was also on the scene and told the press that the man under the car was visibly crushed and mangled. He said, “It looked like a Halloween set-up. Just his head and his arms were completely disfigured.” Wong approached the driver, who was still pinned behind the steering wheel, and the driver claimed that he had suffered a stroke. The New York Police Department, however, gathered evidence that might suggest he was driving under the influence.

Two men, aged 35 and 46, ended up being killed at the scene of the accident. Three other men, aged 36, 44, and 51, were harmed and transported to St. Luke’s Hospital and are currently recuperating in very critical condition. The police, on the other hand, are continuing the investigation, and the primary evidence is surveillance footage showing the entire accident.

People trying to change their stories after an accident — especially if they were under the influence of a controlled substance — is nothing new. The police will often go beyond just statements, and in this particular case, they believe the speed at which the Mercedes flew through the intersection was not consistent with someone who had just lost consciousness. The driver’s toxicology report is still not public record at this time.

The 46-year-old victim was leaving his shift as a doorman when he was struck. The 35-year-old victim was a healthcare worker who reportedly had just welcomed triplets. His best friend, Zubosqui Garcia, 37, said, “Everything was going well in his life. He’s gonna be missed by many. To lose him like this was something so reckless.”

The father of triplets had reportedly just gotten an apartment in downtown New York, and his friends were still in disbelief over the unpredictable loss. His young family had just started making future plans, and now that will have to happen without his presence. If what the police suspect ends up being true, hopefully justice is served.