Police arrested the alleged driver behind a fatal car crash in South Richmond Hill earlier this week, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Friday.
Harpreet Singh, 20, was arraigned on vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, driving under the influence and driving by unlicensed operator charges in Queens Criminal Court on Wednesday, April 21.
The crash, which happened around 1 a.m., on Wednesday, was allegedly caused by Singh, who was speeding down Atlantic Avenue near 111th Avenue in a Honda Accord with a passenger in the front seat, the charges state.
Blowing through a red light at the intersection, Singh, who’s from Richmond Hill, collided with the 46-year-old driver of a Ford F-150, who was driving southbound on 111th Street, according to the police. Singh continued driving until he hit a 65-year-old woman driving a Mercedes Benz, the charges said.
Both the 46-year-old man and 65-year-old woman suffered minor injuries but refused medical attention from responding EMS personnel.
Police arrived at the scene to find Singh’s passenger, 23-year-old Suraj Kumar, unresponsive with injuries to his head and body. Kumar was rushed to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Singh allegedly told police that both he and Kumar were passengers in the Honda and that the driver had taken off on foot, Katz said. Initial police reports noted that there had been two passengers inside the Honda.
Singh was taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
The Richmond Hill man was allegedly intoxicated at the time of the crash and not licensed to drive, according to the DA. A witness told police that Singh was in fact the driver, Katz said.
Singh, whose case was adjourned by Queens Criminal Court Judge Frances Wang on April 26, will appear in court again on May 26. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison.
Updated at 11:11 a.m., on Tuesday, April 27, 2021.
