Driver charged with killing 2 Roslyn teens driving 95 mph while drunk, high on cocaine: prosecutors

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Driver charged with killing 2 Roslyn teens driving 95 mph while drunk, high on cocaine: prosecutors
Roslyn resident Amandeep Singh. (Photo courtesy of the Nassau County Police Department)

The driver charged with killing two Roslyn teenagers in a car crash last month was traveling 95 miles per hour on the wrong side of the road while drunk and with cocaine in his system, prosecutors said on Friday.

Roslyn resident Amandeep Singh was charged with multiple offenses, including aggravated vehicular homicide, first-degree vehicular manslaughter, second-degree manslaughter, leaving the scene of an auto accident with a fatality, Driving While Intoxicated and two counts of second-degree assault.

The two killed were Roslyn Middle Schoolers Drew Hassenbein and Ethan Falkowitz, both 14.

Singh appeared at a Brooklyn appeals court on Friday where his attorney, James Kousouros, advocated for his client to be released on a bond.

“He has longstanding community ties, he is 35 years of age, he has no criminal record, he has a degree in civil engineering from New York University and owns a successful business in which he employs up to 85 people,” Kousouros said in a statement to Blank Slate Media. “He is married with two children and owns a home in which his family lives. While we certainly acknowledge the seriousness of the offenses, under the federal and state constitutions as well as New York State statutory law, he should be released on bail.”

Roslyn High School students Zach Sheena and Ethan Solop, present in the car with the two middle schoolers, were also hospitalized with internal injuries but were in stable condition following the accident.

Police reported that the four boys were in a 2019 Alpha Romero sedan driving on North Broadway when at 10:21 p.m. on May 3 they were struck by Singh’s 2019 Dodge Ram driving in the opposite direction of traffic.

As a result of the collision, the Alpha Romero then hit a 2023 Volvo occupied by a driver, 49, and a passenger, 16. Both were treated at the scene for minor injuries, according to police.

Nassau County Assistant District Attorney Michel Bushwack, chief of the Nassau District Attorney’s Vehicular Crimes Bureau, said a black box inside of Singh’s truck registered the vehicle traveling at 95 miles per hour five seconds before the crash.

Bushwack also told the Appellate Division’s Second Judicial Department Singh attempted to flee the scene of the crash, had a 0.15 blood alcohol limit four hours after the crash and cocaine in his system.

Immediate efforts to reach prosecutors for further comment were unavailing.

Det. Capt. Steven Fitzpatrick, commanding officer of the Nassau County Police Department’s Homicide Squad, told reporters on Thursday that the scene of the crash was “probably one of the most catastrophic” he had seen “in a long time.”

Fitzpatrick said surveillance video showed Singh asking police what they were doing at the scene, thinking he was in New Jersey.

Singh was held without bail by District Judge Anthony Paradiso at the Nassau County Courthouse on May 8.

Singh’s criminal history includes driving while intoxicated and a youthful offender conviction for gang assault.

He was subject to deportation on two occasions due to his criminal history, the newspaper reported. Nocella said Singh’s criminal background also makes him a flight risk, according to reports.

Hassenbein was a nationally ranked tennis player who played on the high school varsity tennis team. He was No. 1 in the country in the National Boys 12 and Under division in 2021. Falkowitz was also a tennis player for the high school varsity team.

Thousands of people gathered at Temple Beth Shalom in Roslyn last month to mourn and honor the life of Hassenbein, who was said to be an avid sports fan who cared about his fantasy football league and would rely on his father’s friends for advice in drafting his team. 

He loved the Mets and attending sports games. He would always treat his friends when they would go together. Hassenbein, at one point, was the No. 1-ranked tennis player in the nation for the Boys 12 and Under division. He was already being scouted by nationally acclaimed college tennis programs, despite only being in eighth grade, according to reports.

Falkowitz’s funeral at Temple Sinai of Roslyn Friday had attendance in the thousands as well. He was remembered as a uniquely caring young boy who was confident and determined to achieve anything he set his mind to. He had a thirst for knowledge and was musically and athletically skilled.

Family members said he had a unique and special bond with everyone he met –  apparent in the large attendance at his funeral. The room was filled with people whose lives he had touched.

Rabbi Michael White referred to Ethan Falkowitz’s death as “senseless” and an “injustice” during his funeral service.

“We want answers,” White said. “We want justice. And it can be frustrating because the truth here is that human beings are mortal and fragile, that people make evil choices like drinking and driving and we are left to suffer the unbearable consequences.”

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