Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Tyrone Absolam, 42, has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, driving while under the influence of alcohol and other charges for the Saturday evening car crash that killed a mother and her daughter.
DA Katz said, “As alleged, the defendant’s selfish, illegal choices resulted in the tragic death of a 10-year-old girl and her mother and caused injuries to himself and his passengers. The rules of the road are not suggestions. They exist to keep motor vehicles from becoming deadly objects of destruction. When they are ignored, the results can be catastrophic. The defendant allegedly got behind the wheel of his vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and then proceeded to drive recklessly.”
Absolam, of 133rd Avenue, Queens, is awaiting arraignment in Queens Criminal Court on an complaint charging him with two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular manslaughter in the first degree, two counts of manslaughter in the second degree, vehicular assault in the first degree, two counts of vehicular manslaughter in the second degree, two counts of vehicular assault in the second degree, two counts of criminally negligent homicide, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, and reckless driving. If convicted, Absalom faces up to 25 years in prison.
According to the charges, at approximately 8:45 p.m. the defendant, driving a 2018 gray Nissan Altima westbound on Rockaway Boulevard at a high rate of speed, collided with a 2019 gray Chevy Cruze, driven by Diana Granobles, 31, at the intersection of Rockaway and Guy R. Brewer Boulevards. Ms. Granobles, who was driving with her daughter, Isabella Granobles, 10, was heading eastbound and making a left northbound turn onto Guy R. Brewer Boulevard.
Continuing, DA Katz said, police officers responding to the incident observed the defendant to have bloodshot watery eyes and to be in an intoxicated condition. According to the charges, the officers administered two standardized field sobriety tests to the defendant and he failed them both.
At the time of arrest, according to the charges, the defendant admitted to officers, in sum and substance, I drank from my girlfriend’s cup of vodka and iced tea at around 5:00 p.m. while we were at the beach, I was driving the grey Nissan that got into the accident, I just got it. It’s new car, there are no issues with it. I was driving 50 miles per hour.
The posted speed limit on Rockaway Boulevard and Guy R. Brewer Boulevard is 35 MPH.
Ms. Granobles and her daughter were immediately transported to a local Queens Hospital where they were both pronounced dead from their injuries.
Three passengers traveling inside the defendant’s vehicle were also transported to local Queens Hospitals where they are being treated for their injuries.
Assistant District Attorney Antonio Vittiglio of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Peter J. McCormack, Senior Deputy Bureau Chief, John Kosinski and Karen Ross, Deputy Chiefs, and Robert Ciesla, Section Chief of Operations, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Daniel A. Saunders.