A New York man has admitted to causing a wrong-way car accident fueled by tequila and cocaine that killed two teen tennis players returning home from a team dinner celebration.
Amandeep Singh, 36, pleaded guilty on Friday to aggravated vehicular homicide and driving while intoxicated in the crash that killed Drew Hassenbein and Ethan Falkowitz, both 14.
The crash occurred on May 3, 2023, in Jericho, Long Island. According to Long Island Newsday, Singh had been drinking scotch, tequila, and snorting cocaine before driving.
Singh drove his Dodge Ram pickup truck south at high speeds in the northbound lanes of North Broadway before colliding with a 2019 four-door Alfa Romeo carrying Drew, Ethan, and two other boys, according to prosecutors.
Drew and Ethan were killed immediately. The other two boys were hospitalized and eventually recovered from their injuries.
A second vehicle was struck, injuring two others who were treated on the scene and released.
Singh was arrested after being discovered hiding near a dumpster in a nearby shopping center parking lot. Police bodycam footage captured the moments before he was loaded into an ambulance, transported to a hospital for a head wound, and arrested.
In the video, he says to officers, “So what if I [expletive] drink and drive … maybe I did.”
At the time of the crash, his blood alcohol level was reported to be 0.18, more than twice the legal limit.
According to Stephen Fitzpatrick of the Nassau County Police Department, the boys were on their way home from a restaurant following a tennis event.
Drew was ranked 38th in the United States among players under 14. The two were “amazing guys” and “best friends” who had played the sport since they were five years old, according to their coach, Jay Harris of local NBC affiliate WNBC.
Drew’s GoFundMe page stated that he and his teammates were returning from a tennis celebration at Roslyn High School.
According to the fundraiser, the team was celebrating a victory in which Drew won his match. Drew was a nationally ranked 12-year-old tennis player.
“Even though Drew was a nationally-ranked boys player, nothing meant more to him than being a part of the Roslyn tennis community and being with his friends,” according to the website. “Our family is devastated by his loss and is so appreciative of the incredible outpouring of support and people’s desire to help.”
Drew’s family established the Drew Hassenbein Foundation, which provides tennis lessons and scholarships to underprivileged children while also sponsoring elite juniors.
Ethan’s family has also established The Ethan Falkowitz Foundation.
“He sought happiness by making others happy,” according to a GoFundMe page created in his memory. “Nothing was impossible.” His outlook was full of optimism and curiosity. He refused to believe that there was ‘bad’ in the world.
He avoided dangerous activities and was only truly happy when those around him were happy. It is now our life’s mission to continue what Ethan began. We will find a way out of this nightmare and ensure that Ethan’s legacy is cemented, not by his tragic death, but by his unending love for others.
