NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A 17-year-old boy was arrested and charged as the driver in a wrong-way crash last month that left a groom-to-be and his cousin dead, police announced Saturday morning.
The teen was charged with second-degree vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death after he was arrested around noon on Friday in Washington Heights.
The NYPD does not release the identities of minors charged with crimes.
The 17-year-old is accused of driving a Chevrolet Silverado the wrong way on the Henry Hudson Parkway in upper Manhattan, near 165th Street, at about 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24.
As he traveled southbound in the northbound lanes, the teen allegedly struck a Dodge Challenger operated by 38-year-old Kirk Walker of Washington Heights.
Walker was transported by EMS to Columbia University Irving Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. His passenger and cousin, 40-year-old Robert McLaurin, was transported to NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem where he was also pronounced dead.
McLaurin resided in Dunn, North Carolina, and was in town for Walker’s wedding, which was supposed to take place the day after the fatal crash.
Walker was a father of three and soon-to-be groom, and his fiancée Shauntea Weaver spoke at a vigil in Bergenfield, New Jersey, that was held in honor of the two victims the following day.
“I have to go home by myself on my wedding day because a reckless driver killed my husband and his cousin,” Weaver reportedly said.
The story of the tragic crash gripped New York City, and at his weekly media availability on the Tuesday after the accident, Mayor Eric Adams said he spoke with Walker’s mother and offered up $1,000 of his own money to anyone with information on the responsible driver.
“Any accident is a terrible accident, but some of them turn into Shakespearean tragedies. Two days before your ceremony, the family’s devastated, as you can imagine. We’re going to find a person involved,” Adams said.
“And I'm asking New Yorkers, if you know of any information that can lead to apprehending this person who appeared to have left the scene, I'm just going to put $1,000 of my own personal money to call for the arrest and conviction of this person,” the mayor added.
In the pick-up truck with the 17-year-old suspect was a 21-year-old man. After the collision, they both exited the vehicle as it became engulfed in flames.
The 17-year-old fled, and the 21-year-old remained on the scene. He was also transported to NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, but in stable condition.
Two other vehicles were involved in the collision, including a Toyota Rav4 driven by a 31-year-old man that was also traveling the wrong way down the parkway. That motorist remained on the scene and no charges have been filed against him, police said.
The other vehicle, an Audi S3, was also struck. Two men, 27 and 28, were taken to Columbia University Irving Medical Center in stable condition.
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