Teen Driver Deadly Meadowbrook Parkway Crash Facing Manslaughter Charges
WESTBURY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A 15-year-old girl faced a judge Monday in connection with a deadly crash on Long Island.
Cindy Sanchez is facing charges as a juvenile after the SUV authorities said she was driving crashed on the Meadowbrook State Parkway on Friday.
She was arraigned in Nassau County Juvenile Detention Monday morning.
The Chevy Trailblazer they were in veered off the roadway just before noon Friday south of exit M9 in Freeport and plunged into the surrounding marshland, ejecting several passengers.
The mother of the underage driver is facing tragedy on two fronts. Her 13-year-old son and Cindy's brother, David Sanchez, died in the crash as her daughter is in juvenile custody facing manslaughter and homicide charges.
A judge ordered a psychiatric exam on Monday for Cindy Sanchez.
"She's sad, she's remorseful, she's depressed," defense attorney James Toner said. "She's 15-years-old, lost her brother and lost friends."
A teen mom, authorities say Cindy Sanchez was driving an SUV taken without permission from a friend's father on a day the group planned to cut school for the beach.
Also killed were 16-year-old Herbert Leo Aviles Maravilla, 15-year-old Marlon Carbajal, each of Uniondale. Police said six other teens, including the driver, and the driver's 18-month-old child were also injured in the crash.
The sister of one of the victims, Gissell Carbajal, said he brother Marlon "had like a heart of gold."
"When I got the call, I was at work and I was bawling that I didn't think he would've passed like that it was shocking," she told CBS2.
One of the teens in the car told Carbajal it was a nightmare.
"He said he closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes and either my brother or his brother were there, I was like, 'I feel your pain I lost my brother too,'" Gissell Carbajal said.
Prosecutors say no one in the SUV was licensed. Students at Uniondale High School who knew the teens were greeted by grief counselors Monday morning.
"At times you have to think 'What were kids thinking,' you know? What happened prior to them... as kids they act first," Uniondale Parent Addie Blanco-Harvey.
When asked why her brother decided to get into the car that day, Carbajal said only he would know that answer and he's not here now, Duddridge reported.
Family members say some staff at the high school have reached out to help them with funeral arrangements. Cindy Sanchez's attorney says they'll seek permission to allow her to attend her brother's funeral.
The alleged underage driver is due back in court on July 3rd, and authorities say it's possible she could be tried as an adult if the case is moved out of family court.
The investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the New York State Police at (631) 756-3300. All calls will remain confidential.
