Three teenage boys died late Tuesday night when the SUV they were riding in crashed on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn, throwing the driver and two passengers from the vehicle, the New York Police Department said. Four other people in the SUV were injured and taken to hospitals. The driver and the two ejected passengers were pronounced dead at NYU Langone, according to the New York Times.
The three victims, Konstantin Gerantidi, 17, Abdul Rehman, 16, and Huzayfah Makharesh, 18, all lived in Brighton Beach and knew each other from the neighborhood, according to local reporting. The teens lived less than a mile apart, and their deaths have hit the community hard.
What happened: timeline of the crash
Where and when the crash occurred
The crash happened late Tuesday night on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn, near Bay Ridge, according to police accounts cited by multiple outlets. The Belt Parkway is a limited-access highway that wraps around the southern edge of Brooklyn, connecting Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Gravesend and Brighton Beach before continuing toward Queens.
Exact mile-marker details and the precise time of the 911 call haven’t been made public. What’s confirmed is that the crash happened at night and involved a single SUV carrying seven people, three of whom did not survive.
How the victims were thrown from the vehicle
The driver and two passengers were ejected from the SUV during the crash, the NYPD said. All three were pronounced dead at NYU Langone hospital. Ejection during a high-speed collision or rollover is often linked to a lack of seatbelt use, though police haven’t said whether the teenagers were belted in at the time of the crash.
The four other occupants of the vehicle were injured but stayed inside during the collision, and they were taken to area hospitals for treatment. Investigators haven’t detailed the mechanics of the crash, including whether the SUV rolled over, struck a barrier, or collided with another vehicle.
Who died: identifying the three teenagers
Konstantin Gerantidi, 17
Konstantin Gerantidi, 17, was among the three killed in the crash. He was identified by name in reporting from the New York Times and other outlets covering the crash. Details about his background beyond his age and neighborhood haven’t been published.
Abdul Rehman, 16
Abdul Rehman, 16, was the youngest of the three teenagers killed. Like Gerantidi, he was identified by police and named in initial reporting on the crash. No additional biographical details have been released publicly.
Huzayfah Makharesh, 18
Huzayfah Makharesh, 18, was the oldest of the three victims. Some early reports identified the vehicle involved as a Cadillac, describing the three teens killed as a 16-year-old, a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old, matching the ages of Rehman, Gerantidi and Makharesh.
Their shared ties to Brighton Beach
All three teenagers lived in Brighton Beach, a Brooklyn neighborhood on the borough’s southern shore known for its boardwalk and its large Russian-speaking immigrant community. The three victims knew each other from the neighborhood and lived less than a mile apart, according to reporting on the crash. That proximity has deepened the sense of loss among residents, many of whom say the boys were fixtures in a community where families have known each other for years.
The four injured passengers and their condition
Four other people who were in the SUV at the time of the crash were injured and taken to hospitals, the NYPD said. Their names, ages and specific conditions haven’t been publicly released. It’s still unclear whether any of the four sustained life-threatening injuries or whether all are expected to recover.
Seven people were in the SUV when it crashed: three teenagers who died, including the driver, and four who survived. Investigators haven’t publicly addressed questions about occupancy and seating that the number raises.
What investigators know so far
NYPD’s early statements on the cause
The NYPD confirmed the deaths of three teenage boys and said four others were hospitalized following the crash, according to multiple outlets citing police statements. Beyond confirming the basic facts, the ejections and the fatalities, police haven’t released a determination of cause.
Some early reports described the incident as a single-vehicle crash, while at least one account referenced a crash involving another car. That discrepancy hasn’t been resolved in public reporting, and it’s not yet clear whether a second vehicle played any role in the collision.
Unanswered questions about speed, road conditions and vehicle control
Investigators haven’t said whether speed, road conditions or driver error contributed to the crash. Police haven’t indicated whether the driver held a valid license, whether the SUV was mechanically sound, or whether weather or lighting conditions on the Belt Parkway played any role Tuesday night.
The NYPD also hasn’t said whether surviving passengers or witnesses have been interviewed about the sequence of events leading up to the crash, or whether toxicology results are expected as part of the investigation.
The Belt Parkway’s history as a crash site
The Belt Parkway has long been considered a dangerous stretch of road, with a design dating to the 1930s that predates modern highway safety standards. Narrow lanes, sharp curves and limited shoulder space in some stretches have made it the site of repeated serious crashes over the decades, though comprehensive current crash statistics for the roadway weren’t included in reporting on this incident.
This week’s crash adds to a long list of fatal collisions on the parkway and revives longstanding concerns about the road’s safety record.
How the Brighton Beach community is responding
Reactions from neighbors and classmates
News of the deaths spread quickly through Brighton Beach, where residents described the three teenagers as known figures in a neighborhood where families often live in close proximity for generations. Community members told local outlets they were shocked that three boys who grew up within a mile of one another died together in the same crash.
Brighton Beach is home to a large Russian-speaking immigrant population, and the losses have been felt well beyond the victims’ immediate families.
What comes next for the investigation and any potential charges
The NYPD investigation into the crash is ongoing, and no charges have been publicly announced. Investigators are expected to examine the vehicle, review any available surveillance or dashcam footage, and interview surviving passengers as part of determining what caused the SUV to crash.
Whether the driver, if determined to be a teenager without full driving privileges, or any other party bears legal responsibility will depend on findings that haven’t yet been made public. For now, the Brighton Beach community is left to mourn three boys whose deaths on a stretch of highway with a long history of serious accidents have reopened questions about the Belt Parkway’s safety that Brooklyn officials have faced for decades.
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