Watch CBS News

Driver Charged After Woman Killed In Fiery Single-Car Crash On Harlem River Drive

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A fiery single-car crash Sunday morning on the northbound Harlem River Drive left one woman dead and another woman charged with DWI.

Around 5:40 a.m., while trying to take the exit for the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, the driver of a maroon Dodge Sedan lost control and hit a tree in the median, police said. The car then burst into flames, 1010 WINS' Derricke Dennis reported

Police confirmed there were three people in the vehicle -- a driver and two passengers.

The female passenger, identified by police as 24-year-old Kiara Jenkins, of Jersey City, was taken to Harlem Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

1 Dead After Fiery Single-Car Crash On Harlem River Drive

The driver, 24-year-old Shanelle Emanuel, was arrested, Dennis reported. Emanuel, of Bayonne, was charged with unlicensed operation of a vehicle and driving while intoxicated, police said.

A man who was fishing on the river nearby heard the crash.

CHECK TRAFFIC

"It started a fire, and the people get out -- two," he said. "Terrible, yeah. It started smoking, fire."

The wreck closed northbound and southbound lanes of the Harlem River Drive and backed up traffic for hours.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.