Man pleads guilty in Long Island crash that killed teenage tennis standouts
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Editor's note: The story in the video player aired on May 8, 2023.
JERICHO, N.Y. (PIX11) – A man accused of driving while drunk and high on cocaine when he crashed into a car and killed two teenage tennis standouts on Long Island pleaded guilty on Friday, authorities said.
Amandeep Singh, 36, of Roslyn, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide and other charges in connection to a wrong-way crash in Jericho in May 2023 that killed 14-year-olds Ethan Falkowitz and Drew Hassenbein, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.
“After going out for drinks with friends some of them hopped into a cab, but not this defendant. Instead, nearly two times the legal limit for alcohol and high on cocaine, Amandeep Singh sped the wrong way down North Broadway and slammed his pickup truck into an Alfa Romeo at 75 miles per hour, killing 14-year-olds Ethan Falkowitz and Drew Hassenbein,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said.
Singh is expected to be sentenced to 8-1/3 to 25 years in prison, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.
"Our thoughts continue to be with Drew and Ethan’s families, classmates, and friends as this defendant is finally brought to justice,” Donnelly said.
Hassenbein and Falkowitz were both talented tennis players who played on the Roslyn High School tennis team. They had been out at a restaurant celebrating a tennis match victory before the crash, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.
Two other boys, ages 16 and 17, were also injured in the crash, authorities said.
Hassenbein was a nationally-ranked youth player, according to TennisUpToDate.com. In 2021, he had the honor of performing the coin toss before the US Open final match between Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev.
A massive crowd showed up to support the teenagers and their families during one of Singh's court appearances in May 2023.
“Drew and Ethan were the best of us,” the Roslyn High School tennis team posted on Instagram in May 2023. “They had the biggest hearts and the most contagious smiles. They were outstanding tennis players with the brightest futures. We will forever miss their laughter and company. They were our family.”
Finn Hoogensen is a digital journalist who has covered local news for more than six years. He has been with PIX11 News since 2022. See more of his work here.