Neal Rajapa (17), Darian Ramnarine (18), Peter Kanhai (18), and Chris Kahn (18) were instantly killed when they were thrown from a car driven by their friend, Joseph Beer. He lost control of the car and skidded over 200 feet across three lanes of traffic. The car then left the road and hit a tree. The crash cut the Subaru in half on the Southern State Parkway on October 8, 2012.
When Neal’s mom, Sharon Rajapa, was asked about the subsequent courtroom sentencing, she said, “Whatever it is, it’s not going to bring back my son. My son is already dead, and that is never going to change whether the sentence is 10 years, 15 years, or 25 years. There is no remorse there, but I have to move on for my son to have peace.” She added, “Life hasn’t been the same since my son died, but I forgive Joseph because I have to move on.” Ramsaroop, Neal’s uncle, said, “Neal was more than a nephew. He was more than a beloved son. He was an angel to us all.”
“They’re all dead! They’re all dead!” Beer cried out while searching for his friends near his totaled Subaru. Beer had smoked $20 worth of marijuana and was driving 100 mph. The blood sample taken from Beer two hours after the crash showed that he tested positive for marijuana. Beer was a daily marijuana user. He had a learner’s permit and was not permitted to drive between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Beer’s parents were charged with Unlicensed Operation of a Vehicle for knowingly allowing their son to drive without a license.
“The sheer magnitude of this tragedy is unthinkable, and it could have easily been avoided if this defendant had simply made the right choice to drive sober and drive safely,” Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said. “Instead, we have four promising young lives cut short, another young man facing years in prison, and families that will forever be torn apart by this horrific crash.” – CBS NY News
