Four other people were hospitalized after the late-night collision near Exit 1 in Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge neighborhood.
NEW YORK CITY, NY — Three teenagers were killed and four other people were hospitalized after a Cadillac Escalade overturned following a collision on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn late Tuesday, police said.
The crash happened about 11:35 p.m. Aug. 25 on the eastbound Belt Parkway near 65th Street and Exit 1 in Bay Ridge. Police identified those killed as Huzayfah Makharesh, 18; Konstantin Gerantidi, 17; and Abdul Rehman, 16. Two other teenagers who were riding in the Cadillac survived, as did two women traveling in a Honda HR-V involved in the crash. Police said the investigation remains open and no arrests have been made.
Investigators said the five teenagers were traveling east in a black Cadillac Escalade before the collision. Police said the Escalade was moving at a high rate of speed when the driver changed lanes and then braked as the SUV approached slower traffic. A Honda HR-V traveling behind the Cadillac struck it from the rear, according to police accounts provided to several New York news organizations.
The impact sent the Escalade into a guardrail before it spun and overturned, police said. Makharesh, Gerantidi and Rehman were ejected from the SUV and were taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, where they were pronounced dead. Police said the three were not wearing seat belts. The two other teenagers in the Cadillac were wearing seat belts and were taken to Maimonides Medical Center in stable condition.
The Honda was occupied by two women who also were taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn. Police reports placed the women in their 40s, and authorities said both were in stable condition. Their names were not released. The collision temporarily disrupted traffic on the Belt Parkway, but the roadway later reopened.
A surviving passenger told investigators the teenagers had been together before the crash and were heading home when the collision occurred. Relatives later said the group knew one another from the Brighton Beach area of Brooklyn. The three teenagers who died lived within a relatively small area of the neighborhood, according to family accounts reported after the crash.
Makharesh was identified by relatives and later police accounts as the driver of the Cadillac. Police said he had a valid driver’s license at the time of the crash. Authorities also said he previously had received several traffic summonses, including citations involving speeding, driving on the shoulder and an unsafe lane change. His license had previously been temporarily suspended after he failed to appear in court on traffic matters, but the suspension was no longer in effect.
Police have not announced the Cadillac’s exact speed before the crash. Investigators were examining speed, the movement of both vehicles and seat-belt use as they worked to establish the full sequence of events. Police also said there was no initial indication that alcohol played a role, though investigators planned standard toxicology testing as part of the inquiry.
Family members and neighbors mourned the teenagers in the days after the crash. Makharesh’s uncle told Gothamist that the 18-year-old had stayed in New York while his parents traveled overseas because he wanted to work on college applications. Rehman’s relatives described the 16-year-old as hardworking and helpful, while people who knew Gerantidi recalled him as someone willing to help others in his building.
The crash has also focused attention on driving conditions along the Belt Parkway, where the speed limit in the area is 50 mph. Police have not said whether any driver will face charges, and the circumstances leading to the Honda striking the Cadillac remain part of the investigation. Detectives with the NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad are continuing to examine the crash.
As of Friday, authorities had announced no arrests and had not released a final determination of the cause. The four surviving occupants of the two vehicles had been reported in stable condition, while investigators continued reviewing evidence from the fatal collision.
Author note: Last updated August 28, 2026.