Four Queens, New York teenagers of Guyanese parentage were killed yesterday when the car they were in – driven by a 17-year-old with only a learner’s permit – ran off a stretch of a Long Island highway and into a tree.
The New York Daily News today reported that the driver, Joseph Beer, lost control of the 2012 Subaru Impreza after he “failed to negotiate a curve,” State Police officials said. Beer, whose parents are from Guyana survived.
The Daily News said that he had reportedly been given the car for graduating early from Richmond Hill High School.
Those who died were Peter Anthony, Chris Khan, Neil Rajaba and Darian Ramnarine — all of them 18. They all have connections to Guyana.
Neighbour Shawn Hussani, 25, told the Daily News that Beer’s “parents got him the car” after he enrolled early at St. John’s University.
Khan’s body was identified by his extended family.
“About 20 of us went to identify the body,” his grieving dad, Somdat Bhawan, 41, told the Daily News. “We are a large family. We stick together in moments like this.”
Rajaba attended Abraham Lincoln High School and “was a funny guy,” lifelong friend
Kevin Persaud, 17, told the Daily News. “We grew up together. We used to make a lot of jokes, ride bikes, play games, have sleepovers together.”
Persaud was the among the dozens of students who made a pilgrimage to the crash site, where the mourners lit candles, left bouquets of flowers and shed tears for their lost friends.
Drivers with learner permits are prohibited from driving unless accompanied by a supervising driver, age 21 or older, who has a valid license, according to the state Department of Motor Vehicles.
