Teen Killed In Washington Heights Car Crash: 19-Year-Old Arrested

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — An 18-year-old was killed in a car crash Thursday night in Washington Heights and a 19-year-old driver is facing multiple charges, including driving while under the influence, a police spokesperson told Patch.

The wreck took place around 11:30 p.m. on the northbound Manhattan Expressway near Amsterdam Avenue and 175th Street, police said.

Police found an 18-year-old female unconscious and unresponsive, with severe body trauma inside an overturned car. She died at the scene.

Her identification will be released after her family is properly notified, according to police.

The NYPD's Highway District's Collision Investigation Squad found that 19-year-old Stephanie Jaramillo was driving a Toyota Corolla, traveling northbound on the Manhattan Expressway Thursday night when she attempted to exit the expressway, according to police.

As she made the exit attempt — a different car unexpectedly veered into her lane — causing Jaramillo to lose control of the car and smash into a guard rail, which caused the vehicle to flip over and land on the expressway, police said.

Jaramillo was in the car with four other people at the time of the crash, including the 18-year-old who was killed, according to police. She and the three other passengers were all taken to a hospital in stable condition, police said.

The unidentified vehicle that veered into the lane didn't remain on the scene, according to police.

On Friday, Jaramillo, a Queens resident, was arrested and charged with manslaughter, vehicle manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, aggravated vehicle homicide, and driving while under the influence, according to the police.

The NYPD did not specify to Patch what that influence was.