COURIER L 18 IFE, APRIL 23-29, 2021
Drunk driver in
fatal BQE crash
charged with
manslaughter
BY BEN VERDE
A 22-year-old woman
faces up to 15 years behind
bars for allegedly
crashing her car on the
Brooklyn Queens Expressway
while drunkenly
speeding, killing
one of her passengers.
Long Island resident
Chelsea Rety was careening
along the highway at
102 miles per hour when
she lost control of the car
and slammed into a barrier
near the Flushing
Avenue exit in Williamsburg,
according to the
Brooklyn District Attorney’s
offi ce.
Authorities rushed
to the scene just after
midnight on Jan. 22 and
found Rety, along with
23-year-old Saharath Yuvanavattana
in the front
passenger seat, and a
24-year-old man in the
back, all with various injuries.
Paramedics rushed
Yuvanavattana to Bellevue
Hospital, where
doctors pronounced her
dead. Rety suffered a
broken arm in the crash,
and the male passenger
sustained non-life
threatening wounds, according
to authorities.
Prosecutors claim
that the driver had a
blood alcohol content of
0.09, which is just above
the legal limit of 0.08.
“This defendant
made a terrible decision
to allegedly get behind
the wheel of a car after
drinking alcohol and
traveling at an incredibly
high rate of speed,”
said Kings County District
Attorney Eric Gonzalez
in a statement.
“She showed complete
disregard for the safety
of her passengers and everyone
using our roadways.
I am committed to
keeping our streets and
highways safe and will
now seek to hold this defendant
accountable.
Rety was arraigned
on a slew of charges —
including manslaughter,
vehicular manslaughter,
criminally negligent
manslaughter, and
third-degree assault —
by Brooklyn Supreme
Court Justice Matthew
Sciarrin, who released
the defendant on $75,000
bail. Her next court appearance
is set for June
2.
MARINE TERMINAL
hope it will be looked at
as a role model for the
future development of
climate infrastructure
by other city and state
governments across the
country.
“New York has the
opportunity and the investment
necessary to
be a global green energy
leader,” said Congressmember
Jerry Nadler,
who represents a slice of
Sunset Park containing
the marine terminal.
With a new industry
comes completely new
jobs and skills not previously
done by any New
Yorkers, stakeholders
stressed, adding that a
multimillion-dollar fund
will be created to train
Sunset Parkers for these
green jobs.
“Through its construction
and in its function,
the South Brooklyn
Marine Terminal
will also support the
city’s small businesses
by utilizing local supply
chains with a focus on
women- and minorityowned
businesses.
“It’s a community
benefi ts package that
we are really proud of,”
Loeb said.
Continued from page 14
SAMPLE