Five persons were killed Sunday morning when the vehicle they were traveling in veered off the Hutchinson River Parkway in Scarsdale, struck a tree and caught fire. The deceased – four males and a female – range in age from 17 years old to 8 years old. The vehicle was apparently being driven by a
16-year-old boy.

A sixth person in the vehicle, a 9-year-old boy, was the only survivor. He was apparently riding in the rear hatchback/cargo area and escaped out the rear. The
9-year-old was taken by ambulance to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla with non-life-threatening injuries.

The crash occurred about 12:20 a.m. when a Nissan Rogue went off the parkway north of the Mamaroneck Road exit. No other vehicles were involved.
The full circumstances of the crash remain under investigation by the Westchester County Police Accident Investigation Team and detectives from the General Investigations Unit.

The deceased are from the state of Connecticut: Malik Smith, 16; Anthony Billips Jr., 17; Zahnyiah Cross, 12; Shawnell Cross, 11; and Andrew Billips, 8.