Tributes have been paid to a ‘fondly remembered’ British-born woman and her two young daughters who were killed after a car smashed into the family as they crossed the road in New York on Saturday afternoon.
Natasha Saada, 34, who grew up in Mill Hill, north London, and her daughters Diana, eight, and Deborah, five, who were members of the Orthodox Jewish community in the city, were mown down in Brooklyn as they walked home from attending synagogue, just after 1pm.
All three were pronounced dead at the scene, while the family’s four-year-old son was also critically injured in the crash.
Motorist Miriam Yarimi, 32, who runs a wig making business, was allegedly behind the wheel of an Audi sedan which slammed into a Toyota Camry Uber vehicle moments before colliding with the family and flipping upside down amid horrific scenes on Ocean Parkway in Midwood.
The NYPD told DailyMail.com on Sunday that Yarimi, of Midwood, has now been hit with a slew of charges including three counts of manslaughter in the second degree.
Yarimi, who was allegedly driving with a suspended license, is additionally accused of three counts of criminally negligent homicide, four counts of assault in the second degree, reckless driving and speeding, the department said.
The three were buried on Monday night in Jerusalem, Israel.
Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet of Mill Hill Synagogue, north London, travelled to the funeral and supported Mrs Saada’s grieving parents, who are among his congregants, as well as her husband, Sidney.
Natasha Saada, 34, who grew up in Mill Hill, north London, was tragically killed alongside her two young daughters as they walked home in Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday
The Audi sedan is said to have slammed into a Toyota Camry Uber vehicle moments before colliding with the family and flipping upside down amid horrific scenes
Diana, eight, and Deborah, five, were mown down in the horror crash in Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday afternoon
He told Jewish News: ‘The whole community is grief-stricken. Natasha grew up in Mill Hill and is fondly remembered by many.
‘They are a beautiful family and we are all mourning along with them.’
Devastating images from the scene showed Yarimi’s Audi completely upturned in the middle of the road.
Yarimi had to be removed from the vehicle by firefighters and was reportedly in a stable condition following the smash.
According to online records, the Audi had accrued over 93 traffic violations, which included 20 speeding tickets and over $10,000 in fines.
The violations include tickets for speeding through a school zone, failing to stop at a red light, and parking over a fire hydrant.
Speaking at the crash site, Mayor Eric Adams described the crash as ‘a tragic accident of Shakesperean proportions’ and added: ‘A mother going for a simple stroll on a sunny day was struck and killed. The city mourns with this community.’
Motorist Miriam Yarimi, 32, has been hit with a slew of charges including three counts of manslaughter in the second degree
Yarimi (pictured) who was allegedly driving with a suspended license, is additionally accused of three counts of criminally negligent homicide, reckless driving, and speeding
Yarimi had to be removed from the vehicle by firefighters and was reportedly in a stable condition following the smash
One man who lives nearby told The Daily News that the noise of the crash sounded like an ‘earthquake’.
He said: ‘I quickly ran, called 911, reported it in there. There was emergency Hatzalah [ambulance] there on the scene within two minutes of that phone call, they came in there.
‘They performed CPR on the lady. There was another kid right next to that…and they did CPR on them.
‘There was a little boy did the CPR, and hopefully they got a pulse on him. Just really ugly scene.’
The NYPD said Yarimi’s charges also include failure to yield right at a red light, and driving over the speed limit.
The Uber driver involved was also taken to the Kings County Hospital in a stable condition for treatment, along with their three passengers – two children and an adult.
A police investigation into the crash is ongoing.
