Identities Announced of Five Youths Killed on the Hutch

(Updated March 21) The Westchester County Police are reporting that five young people from Connecticut were killed in a single car accident on the Hutchinson River Parkway at 12:20 am Sunday March 19.

According to police there were six people, ranging in age from 8 to 17 years old, going north in a Nissan Rogue that was driven by a 16 year-old boy. The crashed occurred when the driver failed to turn with the roadway, hit a boulder then a tree and caught fire, just north of the Mamaroneck Road exit.

Four males and one female died at the scene. A sixth person, who was sitting in the rear hatchback or cargo section of the car, escaped out the back. The nine year-old boy was taken to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla with non-life threatening injuries. On MOnday March 20, the victims were identified as follows:

The five persons who were killed in the crash were siblings and cousin, all from Derby, Connecticut. They were returning there from a mall. They were identified as:

Malik Smith, 16

Anthony Billips Jr., 17

Zahnyiah Cross, 12

Shawnell Cross, 11

Andrew Billips, 8

The driver, Malik Smiith did not have a permit or a driver's license and the car was rented by a relative.

David Raizen from the Scarsdale Village Ambulance Corps confirmed that they responded to the scene of the tragedy and took one person to Westchester Medical Center. A statement from the Westchester County Police said, “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.