Teen driver in N.Y. crash that killed 5 children had no license

The 16-year-old driver in a crash that killed five young people did not have a driver’s license or permit and may have fallen asleep or become distracted before the SUV veered off a New York highway, officials said Monday.

The car continued straight at a curve on the highway and struck a boulder and then a tree at 12:20 a.m. Sunday, Westchester County Executive George Latimer said at a news conference. Speed does not appear to have been a factor, he said.

“The crash cost the lives of five young people. And that is a tragedy no matter what the details are,” Latimer said. “It was a horrific accident site.”

The victims — three boys and two girls — were identified Monday as Malik Smith, the 16-year-old driver; Anthony Billips Jr., 17; Zahnyiah Cross, 12; Shawnell Cross, 11; and Andrew Billips, 8. They included two sets of siblings, Latimer said.

A 9-year-old boy, the sixth person in the SUV, was the only survivor. Police said he apparently was riding in the rear cargo area of the 2021 Nissan Rogue and escaped out of a rear broken window with the help of a Westchester County police officer who was the first to arrive and found the vehicle in flames. The boy was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

“He’s just seen five members of his family die. This has got to be an impossible situation for him as a young boy. So the kind of questions that you or I would want to ask him to know these things probably isn’t appropriate until things have been stabilized,” Latimer said.

The SUV had been rented to a relative. Authorities were looking into how the boy had access to the car.