Nylah Frazier was allegedly driving more than 100 MPH when she crashed BMW and killed two passengers
MINEOLA, N.Y. – Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a West Hempstead woman was arraigned today on grand jury indictment charges for the death of two teenager passengers in a high-speed crash in October 2021.
Nylah Frazier, 19, was arraigned before Judge Caryn Fink on charges including two counts of Manslaughter in the Second Degree (a C felony), two counts of Assault in the Second Degree (a D violent felony), Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree (an A misdemeanor) and Reckless Driving (an unclassified misdemeanor). The defendant pleaded not guilty, and bail was set at $100,000 bond or $75,000 cash. If convicted on the top charge, the defendant faces up to 5 to 15 years in prison. Frazier is due back in court on September 9.
“The defendant is accused of speeding at more than 100 miles per hour and blowing through a red light before losing control of her SUV, crashing into a dump truck and killing her two teenage passengers,” DA Donnelly said. “Two young people senselessly lost their lives in this crash, and we continue to extend our condolences to their families.”
DA Donnelly said that, according to the charges, on October 21, 2021, at approximately 1 a.m., the defendant was driving a BMW X3 at a high rate of speed going northbound on Westminster Road in West Hempstead. The defendant allegedly ran a red light, lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the back of a parked dump truck. The impact of the crash caused the vehicle to flip and eject two passengers from the vehicle. Passengers Amanda Arguinzoni, 17, and Curtis Caesar, 19, were killed instantly.
Arguinzoni was a senior at West Hempstead High School, while Caesar was a recent graduate of Cambria Height Academy in Queens and worked for FedEx.
After a lengthy investigation, the defendant surrendered to members of the Nassau County Police Department today.
Senior Assistant District Attorney Tara DePalo of the Vehicular Crimes Bureau is prosecuting this case. The defendant is represented by Marc Gann, Esq.
The charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.
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