Five Connecticut children, ages 8 to 17, were murdered in a violent early morning crash on a New York highway on Sunday, according to police.
The vehicle, which police say was driven by a 16-year-old kid, swerved off the Hutchinson River Parkway in Scarsdale, hit a tree, and caught fire. According to Kieran O’Leary, spokeswoman for the Westchester County Police Department, the lone survivor was a 9-year-old child who was the sixth occupant in the Nissan Rogue.
The 9-year-old “probably was riding in the rear hatchback/cargo area and fled out the rear,” according to the statement. The youngster was brought to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Four men and one woman were among those killed. Their identities have yet to be revealed. According to the police, they are all from Connecticut.
Derby, Connecticut, Superintendent of Schools Matt Conway said the youngsters were part of a family that had recently moved to the New Haven County village from New York but had not enrolled in the district.
Conway said he contacted the father on Sunday and offered to provide him with information about community resources for him and his family. He intended to speak with his father again on Monday.
“It’s the unimaginable. Having to now make arrangements for five of your children to be buried is a very difficult thing for anyone – one child, never mind five that you’re going to have to now make arrangements for,” Conway said.
The vehicle crashed around 12:20 a.m., according to police, and is being investigated. Derby is around 50 miles (80 kilometres) north of Scarsdale.
