A Queens man was sentenced on Friday, May 8, to seven to 18 years in prison for a high-speed, drugged-driving crash in 2025 on the Southern State Parkway that killed his 21-year-old sister and another 23-year-old woman, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly announced.

Jaden D’Souza had pleaded guilty on March 23 to aggravated vehicular homicide, two counts of manslaughter, two counts of assault and driving while ability impaired by drugs.

Donnelly said that on Jan. 12, 2025, D’Souza was driving a 2016 Dodge Dart eastbound on the Southern State Parkway near Exit 30, with his 21-year-old sister, Hailey D’Souza, 23-year-old Crystal Alba-Figueroa in the backseat, and a 23-year-old man in the car, Donnelly said.

D’Souza was driving in and out of lanes at a high rate of speed when he lost control of the vehicle, drove off the road, and crashed into a tree on the grassy shoulder, leading the car to come to rest upside down on the shoulder, the DA said.

Alba-Figueroa was ejected from the car and pronounced dead at the scene, Haily D’Souza was trapped in the rear passenger seat and was pronounced deceased at the scene, and the 23-year-old man was taken to a hospital with serious physical injuries, including spinal fractures and a traumatic brain injury, Donnelly said.

During the crash, a spare tire became dislodged from the car and struck another vehicle, causing that car to crash into a guardrail, injuring the driver, Donnelly said.

During the investigation of the crash, police recovered several cannabis products in the crash debris and in the vehicle, including THC-infused products, rolling papers, a bong, and lighters, Donnelly said.

A search warrant for D’Souza’s blood taken the evening of the crash revealed the sample contained a high level of the active and impairing component of cannabis, she said.

The event data recorder inside the car showed that D’Souza was driving 123 miles per hour when he lost control of the car, the DA said.

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Source: LI Press