By Kathianne Boniello
A Long Island brother and sister who attended one of Little Neck’s largest Korean churches were killed Monday afternoon in a car crash on Long Island.
Jeffrey Kim, 17, and his sister Trudy, 16, were among four Long Island teenagers who died after Kim accidentally crashed the sports car he was driving into an oncoming van, Nassau County police said. The teens were leaving Herricks High School in New Hyde Park, L.I. to go to a fast food place for lunch when the accident occurred, Newsday reported Tuesday.
Kim and his sister were popular at the New York Joong-bu Presbyterian Church, at 252-00 Horace Harding Expwy., church member Don Kim said Tuesday. The church is housed in a large, imposing building just inside the Queens border on Horace Harding Expressway between Marathon and Little Neck parkways.
Jeffrey Kim served as the president of the church’s youth ministry. The brother and sister lived with their parents in Roslyn, L.I.
Don Kim, who is not related to the teens, said Jeffrey and Trudy Kim decided to keep going to the Joong-bu Presbyterian Church even after their parents stopped attending four years ago.
“They have been in our church for about six years,” Don Kim said. “They were very active, very good students. It’s a shock for us.”
Kim said the teens decided to keep going to the church after their parents stopped because they had many friends at the house of worship.
Kim also said one of the Joong-bu church’s ministers went to the family as soon as they learned of the fatal accident and that the church congregation had been praying for the family. Jeffrey and Trudy Kim had not other siblings, Newsday reported.
Nassau County police said Jeffrey and Trudy Kim and two of their friends were leaving Herricks High School, which is on Shelter Rock Road, around noon Monday along with another pair of friends in a second car, to get lunch off-campus.
Police said the teens in both the cars were speeding southbound on Searingtown Road and failed to make a sharp curve in the road.
In separate accidents, each car crossed the dividing line on Searingtown Road, but only Jeffrey Kim’s yellow 2000 Acura was hit by an oncoming vehicle.
Don Kim said the Joong-bu church was considering holding a memorial for Jeffrey and Trudy Kim, but no details were available as of press time Tuesday.
Reach reporter Kathianne Boniello by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 146.
