More Details, Victims ID'd In DWI Crash That Killed 3 From NJ: PD

Three New Jersey residents killed after their car was struck by a drunk driver while on their way to Niagara Falls have been identified, authorities said. Gov. Phil Murphy also offered condolences to the family this week, and a GoFundMe page has been set up for the victims.

Two adult women were ejected and pronounced dead at the scene by the Wyoming County coroner in New York on Sunday. They have been identified as Ondina Castro De La Cruz, 47, and Mayelin Brito-Castro, 32, authorities said.

A 4-year-old child, identified by the GoFundMe page as Kiara Hernandez, was taken by Bennington Ambulance to the Wyoming County Community Hospital for head injuries and died about an hour later, authorities said.

Authorities say they believe the family is fom the Perth Amboy area.

"Tammy and I are praying for the victims of this weekend’s car crash involving a Perth Amboy family traveling to Niagara Falls," Murphy said. "Such a senseless tragedy."

The GoFundMe page has raised more than $5,000 but it's a long way from its $30,000 goal. The page says the family is dealing with "the most devastating circumstances."

"The funds from this campaign will all directly go towards memorial and funeral expenses, as well as support services for the family," according to the page.

The crash happened at 6:39 a.m. when the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office 911 Center said it received calls of a crash with multiple ejections and injuries on Route 20A at Maxon Road in the Sheldon, NY.

The initial investigation revealed a seven-passenger Kia Sedona with a family of nine from New Jersey were traveling westbound on Route 20A when the crash occurred, authorities said.

A southbound Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck on Maxon Road went through the Route 20A intersection without stopping at the stop sign and struck the Kia Sedona in a “T-Bone” type collision, authorities said.

The Kia Sedona had one adult male, three adult females and five children, ages 14, 10, 4, 4, 4. They included

• An adult male, Reyes Rodriguez, 55, was taken by Warsaw Ambulance to WCCH and was later released.
• An adult female, Maria Brito-Castro, 26, was taken by Monroe Ambulance to ECMC
• The 14-year-old was taken by Attica Ambulance to WCCH and later transferred to Oishie Children’s Hospital and was still receiving care there.
• A 10-year old-was taken by Varysburg Ambulance to Oishie Children’s Hospital and was still receiving care there.
• A 4-year-old was taken by North Java Ambulance to Oishie Children’s Hospital and was still receiving care there.
• Another 4-year-old was taken by Mercy EMS to Oishie Children’s Hospital and still receiving care there.

The Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office is still obtaining details of the family dynamic and how they were all positioned in the vehicle. Not everyone was wearing a seat belt and no child seats or booster seats were in the vehicle, authorities said.

The driver of the Dodge truck was identified as Richard Sawicki, 20, of Lackawanna, NY. He was transported by the Strykersville Ambulance to ECMC and later released. He was arrested by the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office for aggravated vehicular homicide, driving while intoxicated and reckless Driving.

Sawicki was later arraigned in Warsaw Court with District Attorney Donald O’Geen and Michael Stivers of the public defender’s office present.

Sawicki was remanded to the Wyoming County Jail in lieu of $100,000 cash bail or $200,000 bond and his driver’s license was suspended. He is to return to the court on June 10 at 5 p.m. He has not posted bail or bond.

The investigation is continuing and will likely take days or weeks. Additional charges are expected, authorities said.