Driver Charged After Teen Passenger Dies in Crown Heights Crash
Police said Ackeem Chambers, 18, fled a Crown Heights car stop before a 2:09 a.m. two-sedan crash that killed 18-year-old rear-seat passenger Jada Rollins and injured four other motorists.
What We Know
Ackeem Chambers, 18, was driving a 2015 Hyundai Sonata west on Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights when police said he fled a car stop and hit a 2007 Toyota Solara driven north on Rogers Avenue. Jada Rollins, 18, was riding in the rear seat and died at Kings County Hospital. The city crash record lists unsafe speed in the two-sedan crash, which killed one motorist and injured four. Police charged Chambers with vehicular manslaughter, vehicular assault, reckless endangerment, reckless driving and traffic-signal offenses. News accounts differed on why police first tried to stop him: the Post initially said the reason was not clear, while a later Daily News report said officers tried to pull him over for running a traffic signal and did not pursue when he sped away.
A police stop preceded the fatal impact
The crash happened at about 2:09 a.m. on February 6, 2022, at Eastern Parkway and Rogers Avenue in Brooklyn. Police said Ackeem Chambers, 18, was driving a 2015 Hyundai Sonata west on Eastern Parkway after fleeing a car stop when he hit a 2007 Toyota Solara driven north on Rogers Avenue.
The official record describes a two-sedan crash involving unsafe speed. One motorist was killed and four motorists were injured.
Jada Rollins was riding in the rear seat
The official fatality record lists the person killed as an 18-year-old female passenger seated in the right rear of the Hyundai. Press accounts identified her as Jada Rollins and reported that she was taken to Kings County Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Two 19-year-old male passengers from the Hyundai and the 61-year-old woman driving the Toyota were taken to Kings County Hospital in stable condition. Reports on Chambers’ injuries changed: early coverage said he was taken in critical condition, while a later Post report said he suffered minor injuries.
Investigators cited speed and signal violations
News accounts did not fully align on the start of the police stop. The Post reported on February 6 that police had not said why officers were trying to stop the Hyundai. The Daily News reported two days later that officers tried to pull Chambers over for running a traffic signal, and that police said they did not pursue him when he sped away.
The crash happened on a heavily injured Eastern Parkway corridor
The fatal crash occurred at Eastern Parkway and Rogers Avenue in Crown Heights. The broader Eastern Parkway corridor in Brooklyn has recorded 2,111 crashes, 1,422 injuries, 85 serious injuries and 7 deaths since 2022, according to CrashCountNYC location data.
Police arrested Chambers after the crash
Police said Chambers was taken to Kings County Hospital after the crash and then placed in custody. By February 7 and 8, news reports said he had been charged in Rollins’ death, including with vehicular manslaughter and vehicular assault.