My office brought charges against an unlicensed teenage driver and his parents this week in connection with a gruesome auto collision that killed a 14-year-old passenger in Jamaica.
The teen's BMW, a gift from his parents, split in half after crashing at more than 100 miles an hour into a parked UPS truck on a busy street. The victim, Fortune Williams, was ejected from her seat and pronounced dead at the scene.
The unlicensed driver, 16 at the time, is charged with manslaughter and reckless driving. While his junior license allowed him to drive when accompanied by a licensed adult driver, the defendant was alone in the car with the victim at the time of the May 17 crash.
Prior to the fatal collision, witnesses from the defendant's school began seeing him regularly driving the same BMW unaccompanied by an adult. He was ticketed in November 2022 for driving without a license and driving while using a cell phone.
We will argue that the horrific car crash that took Fortune Williams’ young life was the result of recklessness and negligence, not only on the part of the minor behind the wheel, but the adults who put him in the driver’s seat. His parents are charged with endangering the welfare of a child and permitting unlicensed operation.
Keeping the streets of Queens safe is a shared responsibility. When getting behind the wheel, let us all remember that everyone on the road — drivers, passengers, bicyclists, pedestrians — is entitled to return to their loved ones unharmed.
My top priority will always be keeping you and your loved ones safe.
In Friendship,
Melinda Katz
Queens District Attorney