Family: Ari (left) and Sari Horowitz (right) at the 2009 wedding of their daughter Natanya (center)
A dog riding in a car apparently went berserk, distracted the driver and caused an accident that left two pedestrians dead and injured three.
Naglaa H. Armanious, 49, was driving in East Brunswick, New Jersey on September 15 when her pet dog began acting out. Armanious lost control of her Toyota Avalon, hit a utility pole and then drove straight into a group of Orthodox Jewish pedestrians who were leaving synagogue, the day before Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year.
As a result of the crash, a married couple was killed and three others, including the couple's son, were injured and remain hospitalized.
'The investigation has further shown that a pet dog owned by the driver was in the Toyota at the time and may have been a contributing factor in the crash,' Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan told The Star-Ledger on Thursday night.
No charges have yet been brought against Armanious.
'The details cannot be released at this time since the investigation is continuing,' he added.
Sari and Ari Horowitz, both 51, were killed as they walked away from Shabbat services at the Young Israel synagogue.
Mr Horowitz, who was an insurance agent for Allstate, had served as the president of his synagogue from 2005 to 2007. He and his wife lived part time in Israel.
The Horowitz's 27-year-old Ami was among the injured.
A childhood friend of Ami told the New Jersey Jewish News, Ami was 'devastated by the loss of his parents and concerned for his family and friends.'
The friend also described the family matriarch as a 'wonderful and kind and compassionate ... [she] loved her kids very much and unconditionally.'
The couple also have a daughter, Natanya Tropp. She and her husband Chaim and their two young children live in Israel.
Young Israel’s president, Aron Adams, told the local press that the congregation felt like it 'has lost two of the most vibrant members of the synagogue.'
'It's like losing a family member. It was so sudden … that everyone, including myself, is in a state of shock.'
Dr. Harris Bram, 52, and his wife Hadar Bram, 49, were walking with the Horowitz family at the time of the accident and were also injured.
The Brams, who have five children, are listed in stable condition.
The driver of the car was also hospitalized after the accident but she has since been released.
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