13-year-old Sarah Erdan, who died in the accident in Midwood
The teenage speed demon who killed a 13-year-old passenger when he plowed a minivan into a Brooklyn house will be treated as an adult in court.
Eric Hakimisefat was arraigned Monday in Brooklyn Criminal Court on charges of criminally negligent homicide, reckless driving and speeding in the death of Sarah Erdan.
Hakimisefat, 16, of Brooklyn, also was charged with operating a motor vehicle out of class, meaning he should have had a parent or guardian with him because he only had a state-issued junior driver's permit.
Bail was set at $10,000 for Hakimisefat and it wasn't immediately clear if he posted bond. His next court date is Dec. 6.
No adults were with Hakimisefat on Sunday when he barrelled down E. 23rd St. at speeds of up to 63 mph - twice the speed limit on the one-way, single-lane strip - with Sarah and her 16-year-old brother, Yosif.
Under the law, Hakimisefat cannot have more than one passenger younger than 21 in the car.
Also, Sarah was not wearing a seat belt when Hakimisefat crashed the Honda Odyssey, sources said.
Hakimisefat totaled the van around 1:45 p.m. Sunday, around the corner from Sarah's house on Quentin Rd. in Midwood.
"It was this huge, colossal crash," said one neighbor, who didn't want to give her name. "You couldn't fathom exactly what happened."
Police said the minivan crashed into the rear of a parked car, sideswiped a tree and plowed through a fence before slamming into the porch of a house at 1620 E. 23rd St.
Neighbor Nina Einhorn, 24, said the driver and Sarah's 16-year-old brother tried desperately to pull Sarah from the van, but she appeared to be trapped in the rear seat.
"They were screaming, 'Help her! Help her!' " said Einhorn. "She [Sarah] was crying in the car, but then we couldn't hear her anymore."
Firefighters pulled the girl from the van.
Sarah was the youngest of the four children, said Rachel Bonayan, a neighbor of Sarah's Orthodox Jewish family.
Mayer Berger of the group Chesed Shel Emes, which prepares members of the Jewish community for burial, said he tried to console Sarah's family at the hospital.
"They were devastated," Berger said. "They can't believe what happened. The mom was screaming, 'I can't believe this is happening! This is a dream.' "
Sarah's brother and Hakimisefat were treated for minor injuries at Kings County Hospital and released. The teenage driver passed a Breathalyzer test, police said
whose car was he driving?
ReplyDeletethat picture is not sarah erdan. take it down
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