20-Year-Old Sentenced Up To 18 Years After Fatal 123 MPH DWAI Crash Kills His Sister And Friend: NCDA

MASSAPEQUA, NY — A Queens man was sentenced to up to 18 years in prison after a high-speed car crash killed his sister and friend, the NCDA announced on Friday.

The Nassau County District Attorney's office said Jaden D'Souza, 20, pleaded guilty in March to driving high and losing control of his vehicle on the Southern State Parkway in 2025, which killed his 21-year-old sister and another 23-year-old female passenger.

He was driving 123 miles per hour when he lost control of the vehicle, according to the event data recorder inside the car, the DA's office said.

The 20-year-old was sentenced on May 8, 2026, to 7 to 18 years in prison, the DA's office said.

D'Souza pleaded guilty on March 23, 2026, before Judge Caryn Fink to aggravated vehicular homicide (a B felony), two counts of second-degree manslaughter (a C felony), second-degree assault (a D violent felony), third-degree assault (an A misdemeanor), and driving while ability impaired by drugs (an unclassified misdemeanor), the DA's office said.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said D'Souza's "extreme recklessness stole the lives of two young women, including his own sister."

"Haily and Crystal's families are left grappling with a void that shattered their world," DA Donnelly said. "The defendant’s actions are a reminder that driving while impaired leads to tragic and preventable deaths."

On January 12, 2025, at approximately 11:05 p.m., D'Souza was driving a 2016 Dodge Dart eastbound on the Southern State Parkway near exit 30, the DA's office said. D'Souza was the driver with three passengers in the car: 21-year-old Haily D'Souza and 23-year-old Crystal Alba-Figueroa in the backseat, and a 23-year-old male passenger in the front seat, the DA's office said.

According to the DA's office, D'Souza was driving in and out of lanes at a high speed when he lost control of the car, drove off the road, and crashed into a tree on the grassy shoulder — where the car then became upside down on the shoulder.

Crystal Alba-Figueroa was thrown from the car and pronounced deceased at the scene, while Haily D’Souza was trapped in the back passenger seat and was pronounced deceased at the scene, as well, the DA's office said.

The DA's office said the 23-year-old male passenger was taken to Nassau University Medical Center with "serious physical injuries," including spinal fractures and a traumatic brain injury — D'Souza was transported to NUMC as well.

Along with injuring the passengers in the vehicle, another vehicle was impacted on the road, the DA's office said. During the crash, a spare tire came from D'Souza's car and struck another vehicle traveling eastbound on the same parkway, which caused that vehicle to crash into a guardrail and injure the driver, the DA's office said.

Upon investigation, it was determined that cannabis products were found in the crash debris and in the vehicle, such as THC-infused products, rolling papers, a bong, and lighters, the DA's office said. After a search warrant was provided, D'Souza's blood, taken at the hospital, was sampled to reveal a high level of the "active and impairing component of cannabis," the DA's office said.

D'Souza was arrested at NUMC hospital on January 13, 2025, the DA's office said.

When previously reached for comment, Donald Rollock, D'Souza's attorney, told Patch that D'Souza was "contrite" in the aftermath of the crash.

"He's gone through a lot, emotionally," he told Patch. "It's just a tragedy all around for this family. There's no winning. Nobody wins here, not under these facts. But I think he knew that it was time to bring closure, for his family and himself."

According to the DA's office, the case is being prosecuted by Deputy Bureau Chief Katie Zizza and Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Russell of the Vehicular Crimes Bureau under the supervision of Bureau Chief Michael Bushwack and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for the Litigation Division Daryl Levy, and D'Souza is represented by Donald Rollock, Esq.