Surveillance footage shows the shocking moment a Mustang being driven by a 16-year-old sped through an intersection before being hit by an SUV and splitting in half after crashing into a tree, killing three people.
Ring camera footage obtained from the Progress on Staten IslandIt captures the tragic moment when siblings Jesie Gil, 15, and Fernanda Gil, 16, and their friend Ashley Rodriguez, 15, died on Saturday night.
The driver, a 16-year-old who could not be identified, can be seen driving the luxury car down Hylan Boulevard as a 2017 GMC Yukon makes a left turn.
The Mustang can be seen turning towards the pavement before appearing to intersect the corner of the Yukon located midway through the turn. The car swerves out of camera and reportedly crashes into a tree, throwing the two 15-year-olds in the back seat out of the vehicle.
It comes back into view of the ring cam, spinning onto the roadway before shooting over and hitting a telephone pole.
Dramatic surveillance footage shows the moment a Mustang carrying four teenagers crashes into a GMC Yukon on Saturday night, killing three of the teenagers
After the two collide, the Mustang disappears from view and crashes into a tree, throwing Ashley Rodriguez and Jesie Gil, both 15, out of the car
The vehicle then shot across the street and crashed into a telephone pole, killing Fernanda Gil, 16
According to the NYPD, the red Mustang had been traveling east at “unsafe speed” while the Yukon had been traveling west and preparing to make a left turn.
Police can’t confirm the speed because NYC speed cameras only operate between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. As of August 1, it will be moved to 24 hours, according to the Staten Island Advance.
Fernanda, who had been in the front of the car, was taken to Staten Island University Hospital North but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Both Ashley and Jesie were pronounced dead at the scene, while the Mustang’s driver was taken to the hospital, where he is in critical but stable condition.
A police source told the Staten Island Advance that the driver only had a learner permit and should have had an approved adult in the car.
The red Mustang was completely shattered by the force of the impact, its airbags exploded and glass shattered across the street.
The black SUV had four passengers inside, a 44-year-old woman, a 19-year-old woman, a 23-year-old man and an 11-year-old woman.
They all suffered minor injuries and were transported to Staten Island University Hospital North by ambulance.
The driver of the Yukon, a 47-year-old Maher Asi-Mahmoud, was arrested for driving with a suspended license and charges pending.
Rodriguez (pictured) died in the accident on Saturday. She was a week away from her Sweet 16 birthday party
Fernanda and Jesie Gil (pictured) were killed in the crash along with their friend
The NYPD’s Highway Collision Investigation Squad is investigating, and no charges have been filed in connection with the grisly accident.
“Hylan Boulevard is Staten Island Boulevard of Death,” Rose Uscianowski, organizer of Transportation Alternatives on Staten Island and South Brooklyn, told Staten Island Advance.
The three teenagers are among the 123 fatalities in the five boroughs this year.
Tributes were paid to the trio, with Fernanda and Jesie being described as forming an “unbreakable bond”.
Ashley, who rode in the back of the vehicle with Jesie, had her Sweet 16 birthday party planned for next week.
Ashley’s sister Giselle Cruz posted a GoFundMe link online and wrote: “Everything helps, my little sister was only 15 years old, even a share is very much appreciated.
“My Ashley rest in peace the only sister I had is gone now but she’s flying high. Forever my little angel.’
The fundraiser raised more than its $25,000 goal.
Fernanda and Jesie’s funeral will be held Friday from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Martin Hughes Funeral Home on Staten Island.
A friend of Fernanda and Jesie’s family also set one up GoFundMe Site to raise money for a siblings funeral.
As of early Friday afternoon, it has reached $24,000 of its $30,000 target.
They wrote: “Fernanda was the kindest hearted, thoughtful and caring person I have ever known.
“She had a beautiful soul and was always optimistic. She and her brother were always so close and had an unbreakable bond.
The accident happened on Hyland Boulevard and Richard Avenue (pictured) on Saturday.
The car can be seen wrapped around a telephone pole after the accident
“Jessie was a shy person but very funny at times, as was Ashley. Fernanda and her family were very close and I can only imagine the pain they are going through at this point.
‘Heaven has conceived three beautiful angels, may they rest in paradise.’
Juan Sanchez, the teenagers’ uncle, paid tribute to his niece and nephew and shared it New York Daily News: “It’s like a nightmare. Your parents are broken.
“We’re just trying [to plan the funeral] with someone who helped us plan a wedding. We’ve never been in this situation.’
Jesie attended Tottenville High School while his older sister attended New Dorp High School, with relatives confirming that they were their parents’ only children.
