A Queens Village man was charged with criminally negligent homicide for the deaths of two teenagers who were riding in his car during a fatal crash near JFK Airport just over a year ago. Umar Khan, 21, of 219th Street, was arraigned Friday in Queens Supreme Court on a five-count indictment charging him with criminally negligent homicide, reckless driving and speeding for driving nearly 100 mph on the outbound JFK Expressway on the night of Jan. 29, 2023.
According to the charges, Khan was behind the wheel of a white 2011 BMW traveling eastbound on the elevated portion of the JFK Expressway just before 11:45 p.m. and driving at a high rate of speed, entering a curve at approximately 98 mph. Khan veered left and hit the retaining wall causing the vehicle to go over the barrier and flip multiple times before landing on the Belt Parkway below.
The front passenger, 18-year-old Sukhmani Singh of 87th Drive in Bellerose, was pinned inside the wreckage. He was extracted by first responders and rushed by EMS to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center where he was pronounced dead from his injuries. The rear passenger, 16-year-old Ronish Kush of Erik Lane in New Hyde Park, was ejected from the BMW, onto the roadway and was pronounced dead at the scene by EMS.
“The lives of two young people were cut short in a collision we allege was the result of reckless driving,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “The rules of the road are meant to keep drivers, passengers, and everyone else on the highway safe and disregarding them all too often ends in tragedy. We will seek justice for the young victims and their loved ones.”
Khan was arraigned before Queens Supreme Court Justice Marcia Hirsch. If convicted, Khan faces up to four years in prison.
