Driver loses control on FDR Drive; two passengers die
Police said Daquan Allen lost control of a white 2006 Infiniti M35 on the FDR Drive before fire engulfed the car; the official record says two passengers were killed at East 74th Street and one motorist was injured.
What We Know
Before dawn on March 4, 2022, police said Daquan Allen lost control of a white 2006 Infiniti M35 on the FDR Drive in Manhattan and hit a concrete median or barrier. The official crash record places the crash at FDR Drive and East 74th Street at 4:36 a.m. and records two passengers killed and one motorist injured. News accounts said first responders found the car engulfed in flames. The outlets identified the passengers with different spellings: the Post named Kesha Montez, 35, and Mahogany Robinson, 29, while the Daily News named Kesha Montes, 35, and Monhougane Robinson, 29, and described them as sisters. The official record cited unsafe speed, and the vehicle record listed alcohol involvement and unsafe lane changing.
A pre-dawn crash on the FDR Drive
The city crash record says a sedan was traveling north and changing lanes on FDR Drive at 4:36 a.m. when the crash occurred. It records two motorists killed and one motorist injured.
Police told news outlets that Daquan Allen lost control of a white 2006 Infiniti M35 and hit a concrete barrier or median. The Post reported that first responders found the car engulfed in flames.
FDR Drive at East 74th Street
The official record locates the crash on FDR Drive at East 74th Street in Manhattan. The Daily News also placed the impact at East 74th Street, while the Post described the scene as near East 72nd Street.
The location matters because the reported impact involved highway infrastructure: police described Allen hitting a concrete median or barrier.
The two passengers were later identified
The official record lists the people killed as a 35-year-old female front passenger and a 29-year-old female right-rear passenger.
The Post identified the women as Kesha Montez, 35, of Yonkers, and Mahogany Robinson, 29, of Columbus, Ohio. The Daily News used different spellings, naming Kesha Montes, 35, and Monhougane Robinson, 29, and reported that they were sisters.
The Daily News, citing their parents, reported that the 29-year-old had traveled from Ohio to visit her sister in Yonkers, and that the 35-year-old left behind two teenage sons.
The car was described as a 2006 Infiniti
The official vehicle record lists a 2006 Infiniti sedan with three occupants and damage marked demolished. Both news accounts described the car as a white 2006 Infiniti M35.
The official vehicle record says the driver was licensed in New York, was traveling north, and was changing lanes before the crash.
Speed, alcohol and lane changing appear in the record
The crash record lists unsafe speed as a contributing factor. The vehicle record lists alcohol involvement and unsafe lane changing.
The Post reported that Allen was in serious but stable condition at Weill Cornell Medical Center, in police custody on suspicion of drunk driving, with charges pending. The Daily News headline described the driver as charged in a high-speed crash, while the reviewed story text did not name a specific charge.