Background: News footage of the crash in Brooklyn, New York, that killed a mother and two of her children (WNYW). Inset: Miriam “Ellie” Yarimi (@iitsanellie/Instagram).
A Brooklyn woman known for making and selling luxury wigs was charged with manslaughter and negligent homicide after a fatal car crash that took the lives of a mother and two of her young children.
New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said during a press conference that Miriam “Ellie” Yarimi, 32, was behind the wheel of her Audi A3 on Saturday when she crashed into an Uber rideshare vehicle before plowing into 34-year-old Natasha Saada and her three children — 8-year-old Diana, 5-year-old Debra, and 4-year-old Phillip. Saada, Diana, and Debra were killed and Phillip remains hospitalized in critical condition. On March 30, the police announced that Yarimi faced charges of manslaughter, negligent homicide, and assault.
Local news outlet VINnews reported that Saada and her children, all observant Orthodox Jews, were walking home from Shabbat services when they were allegedly struck by the car sporting the license plate “WIGM8KER.”
The Uber, a Toyota Camry, was carrying four passengers, a mother and three children, who sustained minor injuries, according to Tisch. The 62-year-old Uber driver was taken to the hospital in stable condition.
Tisch confirmed that Yarimi was driving on a suspended license and that “speed certainly may have been a factor” in the crash. She called the crash “a horrific tragedy caused by someone who shouldn’t have been on the road.” New York ABC affiliate WABC reported that Yarimi’s driving record showed she had racked up more than $10,000 in fines, $1,345 still unpaid, on top of 99 parking and camera violations.
The New York Post and WABC also reported that Yarimi was taken to Bellevue Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation after reportedly making strange comments after the crash. WABC said that Yarimi believed the CIA was following her; she also reportedly told first responders that she was “possessed” and “had the devil in me.” Police said at the press conference that Yarimi, who is also the mother of a young daughter, was tested for intoxication but those results were not made available.
Yarimi, who is still hospitalized in stable condition, was charged with three counts of second-degree manslaughter, three counts of criminal negligent homicide, and four counts of second-degree assault.
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