Woman charged in crash that killed mother, two kids appears in court as community mourns 

A driver who allegedly struck and killed two children and their mother and left one child in critical condition in Gravesend on Saturday made her first court appearance via video stream April 3.

Miriam Yarimi, 32, was charged with three counts of second-degree manslaughter, three counts of criminally negligent homicide, four counts of assault, reckless driving, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, failing to yield right on a red light, speed not reasonable and prudent, and speeding over the limit.

She has been ordered held without bail.

At 1 p.m., Natasha Saada, 34, was crossing the street at Ocean Parkway with her children Diana, 8, Deborah, 5, and Philip, 4. Cops said Yarimi was driving an Audi sedan north on Ocean Parkway at the intersection of Quentin Road when she allegedly hit a Toyota Camry driven by a 63-year-old man, then struck the Saada family. Her car then flipped over and landed on its roof.

EMS transported the family to Maimonides Medical Center, where Natasha, Diana and Deborah were all pronounced dead. Philip remains in critical condition. The 63-year-old man was taken to a hospital and was reported in stable condition, as were the four passengers in his car.

According to the Daily News, Yarimi, who works as a wig maker, has been held for psychological evaluation at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn. She didn’t offer a plea during the proceedings 

 “The devil is in my eyes. I am haunted inside,” Yarimi told cops after the crash, Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Nocella recounted. “I didn’t kill anyone. I didn’t hurt anyone. Prove it. Show me the proof. You have no proof,” Yarimi said. The defendant also said that she was raped by police when she was 14.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez told ABC 7 Eyewitness News that Philip lost a kidney. He is expected to recover, but it’s going to be a long road.

Yarimi was  “probably doing close to twice the speed limit” and “ran a red light” just before the crash, Gonzalez said.

A memorial has been set up by community members on a tree near the site of the crash. It includes teddy bears, candles and flowers.

Elected officials were quick to comment on the fatal crash.

“Today, a tragic car accident occurred on Ocean Parkway that took the lives of a mother and two of her babies who were crossing the street on a beautiful spring day,” Mayor Eric Adams said. “This sort of senseless tragedy is unimaginable. My deepest sympathies and prayers are with the family and for the recovery of those injured, including a third child who is in critical condition.”

“A terrible tragedy this Shabbat in our community,” said Councilmember Inna Vernikov. “A young mother and her small children taken from us so needlessly. My heart and prayers go out to the family. May they be comforted among the mourners of Zion. Baruch Dayan Ha’Emet (Hebrew for “blessed is the true judge”).”

“My deepest condolences go out to the grieving family during this unimaginable time,” said Assemblymember Michael Novakhov. “This tragedy has left an indelible mark on our close-knit community. As we mourn together, I urge everyone to support one another and keep the affected family in our thoughts and prayers.”

On March 31, State Sen. Andrew Gounardes joined other elected officials and members of Families for Safe Streets and Transportation Alternatives outside Brooklyn Borough Hall. 

During the conference, he talked about the crash and discussed a bill that would require drivers who accumulate 11 or more points on their license in a 24-month period or receive six red-light camera tickets in a year, to install speed limiters on their vehicles.

These devices would prevent these drivers from traveling more than 5 miles per hour over the local speed limit. 

“It’s no longer simply enough to shake our heads in despair when these preventable tragedies occur — it’s time for us to act,” said Gounardes. “The senselessness of this most recent crash is compounded by the fact that this car had dozens of speed and red light violations, and the driver had a suspended license. Fines and suspended licenses aren’t enough to stop this extreme recklessness — we need to physically force vehicles to drive the speed limit.”