Two passengers die after Staten Island SUV crash
A 50-year-old Audi driver attempted a left turn before a Jan. 2 Staten Island crash that killed 6-year-old Anheli Vasquez-Trinidad and 90-year-old Gerardo Avila, according to the New York Post and city crash records.
What We Know
A crash at Rockland Avenue and Forest Hill Road on Staten Island left two passengers dead and two other people injured on Jan. 2, 2026. The New York Post, citing the NYPD, reported that a 50-year-old man driving an Audi Q5 was traveling west on Rockland Avenue just before 10 a.m. and attempted to turn left onto Forest Hills Road, where the crash involved a Honda HRV driven by a 70-year-old woman. City crash data listed unsafe speed as a contributing factor and also listed traffic-control disregard for the southbound Honda driver. The Post identified the passengers who died as 6-year-old Anheli Vasquez-Trinidad and 90-year-old Gerardo Avila.
Official Crash Data
Collision ID
4869119
Date
January 2, 2026
Time
9:57 a.m.
Location
Forest Hill Rd & Rockland Ave
Fatalities
2
Motorists killed
2
Vehicles listed
SUV, Station Wagon/Sport Utility Vehicle
Contributing factors listed
Unsafe Speed, Traffic Control Disregarded
A left turn preceded the fatal crash
City crash data recorded the crash at 9:57 a.m. on Jan. 2, 2026, at Forest Hill Road and Rockland Avenue. The official record listed two motorists killed and two motorists injured.
The passengers who died
The Post identified the people who died as Anheli Vasquez-Trinidad, 6, and Gerardo Avila, 90. City records listed both as passengers: a 6-year-old girl seated in the left rear and a 90-year-old man seated in the front passenger seat.
Emergency responders brought Anheli, Avila and the 70-year-old Honda driver to Staten Island University North Campus hospital, the Post reported. Anheli was pronounced dead Sunday after succumbing to her injuries, and Avila also died at the hospital after the crash.
Two SUVs were involved
City records listed a 2019 Honda SUV traveling south and going straight ahead, and a 2023 Audi SUV traveling west while the driver was making a left turn. The Post described the vehicles as a Honda HRV and an Audi Q5.
The investigation remained active
The Post reported that the 70-year-old Honda driver was in critical but stable condition and that the Audi driver was taken to the hospital in stable condition. No arrests had been made, and the investigation remained active, according to the article.
The Post also reported that a GoFundMe for Anheli had raised funds for funeral expenses.