Teen Slain In Alcohol-Related Accident

A three year friendship ended in tragedy this past Thursday, after Jennifer Grabowski, 19, of Rego Park, lost control of her 1997 Ford Explorer on the westbound side of the Grand Central Parkway, near Queens Boulevard and Union Turnpike.
Grabowski’s vehicle veered off the rain-slicked road around 2 a.m., sending the SUV careening into a guard rail and eventually flipping over.
Betina Madrid, 18, of Jackson Heights, was hurled from the back seat of the SUV and run over by an oncoming vehicle. She was pronounced dead on the scene.
A second passenger, Gabriel Diaz, 21, of Brentwood, was also ejected from the vehicle, but suffered only minor injuries.
Grabowski told police that she had one drink at Byzantio, a Bayside caf, before getting behind the wheel. John Kotrozos, manager of Byzantio claims that no alcohol was served to the underage patrons.
Grabrowski was booked for driving while impaired and released on $2,500 bail. Her blood alcohol level was determined by police to be .057 and below the legal limit for a driving while intoxicated charge. Driving while impaired offenses carry a possible sentence of 15 days in jail.
In the days following the accident, Grabowski, her mother Grace, 51, and two other friends were arrested for criminal trespassing and tampering with evidence along with other charges for allegedly breaking into the police impound lot at the 107th Precinct where Grabowski’s SUV was being held. These charges carry a penalty of four years incarceration and fines.
are in the process of obtaining a search warrant for the vehicle after drug sniffing dogs indicated the possible presence of narcotics.
Patricia Duque, mother of the deceased had only harsh words to vent towards Grabowski as she attended Madrid’s wake this past Saturday. At the funeral on Monday, Duque had a change of heart and found a way to forgive her daughter’s best friend, embracing her on the steps of St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Elmhurst.
melissa@queenscourier.com