Mother Drives Minivan Into Hudson, Kills Herself, 3 Children

Chief: Domestic Dispute Earlier May Have Led To Tragedy

April 13, 2011 12:58 AM

This was the scene on Tuesday night, April 12, 2011, in Newburgh, N.Y., where police and firefighters pulled a minivan containing the bodies of a mother and three small children out of the Hudson River. (Photo: CBS 2)

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NEWBURGH, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) — A woman who had just been involved in a domestic dispute loaded her four children into a minivan Tuesday night before letting one out and driving the rest of them into the Hudson River, firefighters said. The woman and three young children, ages 5, 2 and 11 months, were killed.

The 10-year-old boy who had been let out of the minivan ran to a nearby fire station and alerted firefighters, Chief Michael Vatter said. The boy told firefighters his mother had driven off a boat ramp in Newburgh, about 60 miles north of New York City, and into the murky water of the river, which runs between New York and New Jersey, Vatter said.

Firefighters and police officers responded with boats. Divers searched for the minivan for about an hour before finding it submerged in 10 feet of water about 25 yards offshore. They used a heavy-duty tow truck to pull it up the boat ramp and onto land.

Everyone inside was dead, Vatter said.

The woman lived about six blocks from where she and her children perished, he said.

The domestic altercation occurred about 10 minutes before the woman drove into the river, said Vatter, who didn’t have any more information on it.

Please stay with CBSNewYork.com throughout the day on Wednesday for more on this developing story.

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Mother Drives Minivan Into Hudson, Kills Herself, 3 Children

MKO

I can understand its probably done on impulse when a man shoots himself but driving purposely towards certain death for enough time during which you can have a rethink beats me.
yolanda

can’t help wondering what was going thru the chilgren’s minds as the car hit the river..it’s soooo painful..
Jersey Boy

You were thinking that your kids have the right to live???? I’m sorry but you should turn your kids over to family services and get some help.
demilade

very sad. poor kids.
Jersey Boy

You’re next….
mm

mental case…normal people don’t do this….she should have killed the husband!
shelly marsh

sad very sad .i feel so sorry for the 10 yrs old.she could have taken a cool off drive .but god know what transpire there .how will the other party live with himself
josh

There is no plausible reason for a parent to harm their own children as a father I literally can not fathom the thought of harming my babies. All those babies had in their hearts was the love they had for their mother. For her to use that, to look them in their eyes and place them in their car seats knowing what she planned to do makes me sick and it is too bad that this woman can not be punished further. I am not religious but if there is a heaven i hope that these babies are in it, with no memory of a tragic life they likely endured.

bree

You are exactly right Josh.
I’m in deep sadness reading and thinking about this tragic life that happened.

chez

Can’t blame that woman? Are you kidding me. she was very selfish, I feel bad for her, but to drive innocent kids into the Hudson? wake up, leave your partner and get on with your life and leave thekids out of it.

melnel

all of you are thinking rational to an irrational situation. we all can say what we would or would not know but unless we are in that situation we should just pray for that family bc I cannot see a sane person doing this.

debbie

This is absolutely unforgiveable.
I will never be able to understand why these people don’t just kill themselves, without harming their children?
What did these poor innocent babies do to deserve this horrible fate?
And the poor boy that survived – how will he live, knowing that his family is dead, and that his own mother killed his siblings?
Just incomprehensible.
jody

that’s sad
john

America, it is time to repent and turn to the Saviour, Jesus christ. The last days of the Bible are here

Pray Dilligently

Amen. Christ Jesus is the only way, the truth and the life.

Greta

Clearly something pushed this woman over the edge. An abusive husband? Untreated mental illness? It’s sad that so many people have no one to turn to in their lives and act out of desperation. We as a society need to reach out to people in trouble and stop judging them.
gina j. duero

OMG! pray for the souls of 3 angels…. let there souls be peace….
VIVIAN

this is pure nonsense, as tragic as it can be, no matter what, nothing in this world should make us take away our life, it may not have causes us anything but it caused JESUS HIS life, sorry to say, but this is the truth, that woman has gone to hell already. so be careful no matter how depressed anyone can be, remember JESUS is always there. HE says “come to me all ye who labour and are heavy laden and i will give you rest” JESUS LOVES US.

Ammad

This is very sorry to hear, but is happening everywhere in 70% families specially in America and Canada. I blame this family lawyers and courts and family who put unnecessary financial pressure for their sole benefit and destroy tons of lives everyday.
Debby

HI Vivian, I can understand your emotion but I believe something different when it comes to hell. First of all the word “hell” is used 54 times in the Bible. It is translated from several different words with various meanings, as in the Old Testament,31 times from the Hebrew “Sheol,” which means “the grave”. In the New Testament: 10 times from the Greek “Hades,” which means “the grave”. 12 times from the Greek “Gehenna,” which means “a place of burning”. 1 time from the Greek “Tartarus,” which means “a place of darkness”. So a good understanding would help us all.

Second, we cannot deny that some passages in the Bible plainly state that hellfire will burn “for ever” (Revelation 14:11; 20:10). But logic alone tells us that if hell burns forever “on the breadth of the earth,” it would be impossible for God to create a new earth. And if God kept sinners alive to endure an eternal burning, He would fail in His mission to rid the world of sin. Instead, He would perpetuate it. In Scripture, “for ever” is often used in conjunction with an event that has already taken place. For instance, Hannah pledged to God that she would take her infant son Samuel to serve in the temple at Shiloh, where he would abide “for ever” (1 Samuel 1:22). No student of the Bible would take this to mean that he would remain in that temple for as long as time should last. Hannah herself interpreted the statement as meaning that Samuel would serve in the temple for “as long as he liveth” (verse 28).More than 50 times the Bible uses “for ever” to mean “for as long as time lasts in that specific case.” The term is used colloquially today to describe a downpour or a hot summer’s afternoon (or a sermon!) that “went on forever.” Also, the bible tells us that “the wages of sin is” not eternal life in hellfire, but “death” (Romans 6:23), “the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4).

Also the bible teaches that when a person dies the body goes to dust again and the spirit goes back to God who gave it in the first place. “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7. So if one dies one goes into the grave and raise to eternal life on resurrection day(if you believe In Christ as your saviour ofcourse). All that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth.” John 5:28, 29. “David … is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.” “For David is not ascended into the heavens.” Acts 2:29, 34. “If I wait, the grave is mine house.” Job 17:13.
Let us just pray that we will never be tempted to do the same and that God will keep us safe.
Pray Diligently

AMEN. Christ Jesus is the only way, truth and the life.

IamMe

oh .. I thought the USA men treat their women equally and lovingly, and the women are more loving??? cough ouch ouch ouch …. hmmmmm

Jersey Boy

We don’t know who these people are, yet. I think it would be wise for you to reserve judgement. Wherever you’re from, you should consider going back.

Feliz

No matter what was happening in the home NOTHING justifies this woman’s actions NOTHING. THose poor children depended on her to take care of them but she in turn abused the power she had and took them down with her, terrible tragic story I hesitate to say may God have mercy on her because obviously she could not have believed in him. So sad
Justice

Your sick are you sure your not like the daddy your thinking of . When people think like you do it’s that your that way get a real life idiot.
Jack Melford

Never marry an American woman.

Jack

Wish you could have told me that 23 years ago. But you are exactly right. They are such miserable souls no matter what you do for them.
Dul

And why not,Jack?
cindi

Never marry an American man.

Jean

I pray for their souls and especially that little boy who will have to live with the memory for the rest of his life. Tragic.
Giovanna Rivera

this is truly sad my heart and prayers go out to that family who had to loose these babies
lisa

talk about a complete PSYCHO!!!
Truth

So sad
zaman t k

How compelled she was…! that she her life alonwith her children…?
There’s a reason, always and its very common the husbands cheat on their wives
in US or make their life miserable. If. someone calls it ‘sick or deranged’ act …!
I Don’t……
Coz’ this poor lady came to the point where she decided to end the whole matter
with her innocent children.
There’re so many demerits in the system.
But, US Govt. does nothing instead poking their noses in other country’s matters..!
May GOD forgive her and rest their souls in peace..Amin

angela

I soooo agree with you…. wish this world had more people who thought like you, instead of all these JUDGEMENTAL ignore’s that have posted negative about this story…. May they rest in Peace An you never know what or how a person mind can think, jus pray that it dont have to the negative people… this is bigger then us…. if you dont believe in GOD or the Devil… then open your eyes… it’s all around you!

bill

unbelievably sick.

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Mother Drives Minivan Into Hudson, Kills Herself, 3 Children

Chief: Domestic Dispute Earlier May Have Led To Tragedy

April 13, 2011 12:58 AM

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