Teen driver charged after two passengers die in Washington Heights
A 16-year-old accused of driving a stolen Hyundai was charged after a 6:38 a.m. crash at Audubon Avenue and West 179th Street left Daniel Duran, 15, and Daniel Rodriguez, 17, dead.
What We Know
At Audubon Avenue and West 179th Street, the official record says two motorists were killed and four were injured in a crash involving a sedan and SUVs. Police later said a 16-year-old was driving a stolen 2019 Hyundai Elantra with four teen passengers when it was in a collision with a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by a 53-year-old. Daniel Duran, 15, and Daniel Rodriguez, 17, died at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, Gothamist reported. The Daily News, published the day of the crash, said police were still trying to determine which driver caused it; Gothamist later reported that the teen driver was arrested and charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, assault and other counts. The official vehicle record lists traffic control disregarded and unsafe speed for the Hyundai driver.
The reported sequence changed as the investigation developed
The official record places the crash at 6:38 a.m. on July 3, 2023. The Daily News also described an early-morning crash around 6:30 a.m.; Gothamist, citing police, reported around 6:30 p.m., creating a time discrepancy with the official record and the earlier press account.
Press accounts said the Hyundai overturned after contact with parked, unoccupied cars. Gothamist reported a chain reaction involving a parked 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2021 Audi Q3 and 2016 Honda Accord. The official record lists five total vehicles and four injured motorists in addition to the two deaths.
Two teen passengers died, and others were injured
Gothamist identified the passengers who died as Daniel Duran, 15, and Daniel Rodriguez, 17. The official person records list the two people killed as male rear-seat passengers, ages 15 and 17.
Three other people in the Hyundai, including the 16-year-old driver and two 15-year-old passengers, were taken to Harlem Hospital in critical condition, Gothamist reported. The 53-year-old Jeep driver was taken to Harlem Hospital in stable condition, while the Daily News described his injuries as minor.
Police later brought charges against the teen driver
The Daily News reported on the day of the crash that police were still trying to determine which driver caused the crash and that no charges had been filed immediately.
The official vehicle record lists the Hyundai driver as unlicensed and records traffic control disregarded and unsafe speed for that driver.
Official records and police accounts describe the vehicles
The official vehicle records describe the moving vehicles as a northbound 2019 Hyundai sedan with five occupants and a westbound 2011 Jeep SUV with one occupant. The same record also lists three parked, unoccupied vehicles: a 2023 Jeep SUV, a 2021 Audi SUV and a 2016 Honda sedan.
Gothamist identified the Hyundai as an Elantra and the two Jeeps as Grand Cherokees; it identified the Audi as a Q3 and the Honda as an Accord.
Audubon Avenue had a recent history of crashes
The crash happened at Audubon Avenue and West 179th Street in Manhattan. CrashCountNYC location context for Audubon Avenue in Manhattan counts 300 crashes, 162 injuries, 21 serious injuries and 3 deaths since 2022.