A Queens grand jury indicted a Jamaica teenager for the killing of a 17-year-old and injuring others in a high-speed collision on the Cross Island Parkway in Bayside last October.
Mohammad Sk, 19, of 87th Avenue in Jamaica, was arraigned on Sept. 10 on a 12-count indictment charging him with aggravated vehicular homicide manslaughter, driving under the influence, assault, and other related crimes for the crash that killed 17-year-old Mohammad Rafid and injured four other teenagers, all passengers in the car he was driving. Sk allegedly drank alcohol and smoked marijuana before getting behind the wheel. He is accused of driving the vehicle at approximately 110 miles per hour just before the crash.
According to the charges and investigation, on Oct. 11, 2024, Sk was with five other teenagers and drove them all in a 2014 Nissan to a liquor store where they purchased alcohol. The defendant then drove the group to Cunningham Park in Fresh Meadows, where they drank alcohol and smoked marijuana. The young men left the park, and the defendant allegedly drove the group to Fort Totten Park in Bay Terrace, where they continued to drink and smoke.
According to the charges, at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 12, the defendant was allegedly driving the Nissan southbound on the Cross Island Parkway between Exits 32 and 31 when he lost control of the car, swerved across the road, and hit a metal guardrail on the right shoulder. The car spun out and began to roll before coming to a rest on its roof in the center lane of the roadway. Empty bottles of vodka and whiskey were observed on the roadway. The car’s data recorder allegedly showed that the vehicle was going approximately 110 mph two and a half seconds before the crash, with no brake activation. The speed limit on the parkway is 50 mph. None of the car’s occupants were wearing seatbelts. The four people in the rear passenger seats were all ejected from the car.
Mohammad Rafid, who was seated in the rear, was taken to a local hospital with severe head and body trauma and was declared brain dead on Oct. 15, 2024. He died on Oct. 17, 2024.
The defendant and other occupants of the car were also taken to the hospital with head and body trauma. One passenger sustained a fractured collar bone and shoulder and abrasions to his head, legs and back. Another teen sustained fractures to his head, shoulder and ribs. A third had a fractured collarbone.
“As alleged, the defendant made the reckless decision to get behind the wheel under the influence and drive at more than twice the legal speed limit,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “The tragic result was predictable — a collision that cut short one teen’s life and caused serious injuries to four others. The lives and families of six teenagers are altered forever due to the alleged actions of this defendant.”
Queens Supreme Court Justice Bruna DiBiase ordered Sk to return to court on Oct. 10. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison.
