Heartbreak and Horror in Brooklyn’s Jewish Community: Crash Kills Mother and Two Children; Driver’s License Suspended, Police Say

A devastating traffic accident in Brooklyn this Shabbos afternoon left three members of a frum family — including two young children — dead, and several others injured, according to local authorities.

The tragedy unfolded around 1:00 p.m. at the intersection of Ocean Parkway and Quentin Road, in the Gravesend area. Reports indicate that two vehicles, including a Toyota Camry and an Audi sedan, collided at the busy intersection. One of the vehicles then veered into a crosswalk, striking a woman and three children who were attempting to cross the street.

Emergency crews responded swiftly to the heartbreaking scene. Children's shoes and personal belongings were scattered on the ground, and images from the scene showed first responders attending to multiple victims.

The mother and two of her children were pronounced dead at Maimonides Medical Center. A third child, a 4-year-old boy, was reported to be in critical condition as of Saturday afternoon.

The crash occurred on a warm, sunny Saturday as many families in the surrounding predominantly Orthodox Jewish neighborhood were returning home from shul. Witnesses described the area as unusually busy with foot traffic.

“It felt like the world stopped,” one local man said, recalling the moment of impact. “There were families everywhere.”

According to police sources, one of the vehicles involved — a Toyota Camry — was being used as a rideshare. Three of its occupants, including two children and an adult, were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

The other car, an Audi, was reportedly driven by an individual with a suspended license. The Audi flipped during the collision, and the driver was also hospitalized but is expected to survive.

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who spoke at the scene, called the incident “a horrific tragedy caused by someone who shouldn’t have been on the road.”

Police cordoned off the area for hours as accident investigators worked to reconstruct the sequence of events. As of this moment, no arrests had been announced, and officials continued to interview witnesses and review surveillance footage from nearby buildings.

This developing story will be updated as more information becomes available.