Five minors killed in crash after car veers off highway in New York: Officials

(WESTCHESTER, N.Y.) — Five minors have been killed in a crash after a vehicle veered off a highway in Westchester, New York, according to officials.

The victims, four boys and a girl, ranged in age from 8 to 17 years old, according to a news release from Westchester County Public Safety.

The Nissan Rogue the children were traveling in hit a boulder, struck a tree and caught fire after it veered off the Hutchinson River Parkway near the Mamaroneck Road exit in Scarsdale around 12:20 a.m. on Sunday, officials said.

A 9-year-old boy survived the accident, officials say.

Investigators believe a 16-year-old was driving the car. No other vehicles were involved in the crash, officials said.

Authorities identified those killed in the crash as: Anthony Billips Jr., 17; Malik Smith, 16; Zahnyiah Cross, 12; Shawnell Cross, 11; and Andrew Billips, 8.

The driver did not have a driver’s license or permit, Westchester County Executive George Latimer told reporters at a press conference on Monday.

The vehicle was rented by a relative and it remains under investigation how the underage driver had access to it, according to Latimer.

“The driver did not turn with the roadway [but] continued in a straight line,” Latimer said regarding an investigative reconstruction of the accident, adding that the car became “engulfed in flames.”

The victims are all from Derby, Connecticut, police said.

The full circumstances of the crash remain under investigation by the Westchester County Police Department.