NJ Man Charged In Fatal Crash That Killed 3 Teens: Reports

STATEN ISLAND, NY - A New Jersey man was charged with driving with a suspended license in a crash that killed three teens in Staten Island on Sunday, according to reports from multiple media outlets.

Three teens, between the ages of 15 and 16, were traveling at an “unsafe speed” in a Ford Mustang at Hylan Boulevard and Richard Avenue at around 8:50 p.m. before it crashed into a 2017 GMC Yukon driven by Morganville resident Maher Asi-Mahmoud, NJ.com reported.

Asi-Mahmoud was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and operation of a motor vehicle by an unlicensed driver, the publication wrote, adding that he was released on his own recognizance and is slated to go back to court on Aug. 18.

The Mustang was traveling east on Hylan Boulevard when it suddenly swerved between left and right lanes and was struck on its driver’s side by the Yukon, the New York Post reported.

The Mustang reportedly struck a tree, which split the car in two and ejected two 15-year-old passengers, the outlet wrote. The front half of the vehicle continued east on Hylan Boulevard, mounted the sidewalk and uprooted a small tree before it came to a stop at a utility pole.

The 16-year-old driver of the Mustang only had his driver’s permit, which allows a user to operate a vehicle only if an adult is present, NJ.com reported. He was listed as being in critical but stable condition following the collision.

Fernanda Gil, 16, died at Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze while her 15-year-old brother Jesie Gil was pronounced dead at the scene. Ashley Rodriguez, 15, of Great Hill, was also pronounced dead at the scene.

Asi-Mahmoud and four passengers in tow all reported minor injuries, NJ.com reported.