RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC. Gothamist Listen Live Donate News Brooklyn community mourns 3 teens killed in Belt Parkway crash By Brittany Kriegstein Published Aug 27, 2026 at 2:04 p.m. ET
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The driver of the SUV that crashed on the Belt Parkway Tuesday night — killing him and two friends and injuring four other people — was supposed to be on vacation with his parents overseas, but decided to stay home to fill out his college applications instead, devastated family members said.
Huzayfah Makharesh, 18, was behind the wheel of the black Cadillac Escalade, driving four other teenagers home from dinner in Bay Ridge, according to his uncle Zakaria Algaheim. His parents had offered to take him to Egypt with them for a week, but he declined.
“ He was supposed to go with them, but he said he needed to apply for Brooklyn College,” Algaheim said, adding that he was a “lovely boy” and a great student who was revered by his teachers.
Police officials said the Escalade was in the center lane of the eastbound Belt Parkway around 11:30 p.m. when it had to brake quickly because of a slower car ahead of it, causing a Honda HR-V to rear-end it.
Both vehicles lost control and hit the guardrail along the southern side of the Parkway, and police said the Escalade flipped over – ejecting Makharesh, 17-year-old Konstantin Gerantidi and 16-year-old Abdul Rehman onto the road. They were not wearing seatbelts, the NYPD said.
Another 18-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy from the Escalade were taken to Maimonides Hospital in stable condition, police said. The 46-year-old woman who had been driving the Honda and her 44-year-old passenger were taken to NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn in stable condition, where officials said they were also in stable condition.
The three teenagers who died knew each other from their Brighton Beach, Brooklyn neighborhood, where they lived less than a mile apart. Relatives and community members described them all as diligent, respectful and responsible.
Rehman’s cousin, Amir Ramzan, said the teen had been working at the nearby Brighton Beach carnival for the summer.
“ He was a great guy, actually. He was a very hardworking son, very cooperative and helpful to the others… everybody loves him a lot,” Ramzan said, as relatives streamed out of their home on Brighton Fourth Terrace to head to the teen’s funeral on Thursday.
Maksim Nechiporuk, the superintendent at the nearby building where Gerantidi lived with his mother and sister, said he always saw the boy helping with laundry.
“ If we needed a hand around, he would help us,” Nechiporuk said.
He said he hasn’t seen the family since Gerantidi’s death. An online fundraiser to help them pay for funeral expenses had already surpassed $24,000 by Thursday.
”There's nothing you can say that would make someone feel better. ‘I'm sorry for your loss,’ but there's nothing that could describe, like, a death of a child especially,” Nechiporuk said.
Makharesh’s uncle said the family is still waiting for the full police report to provide more details on the crash. Police said Makharesh had a valid license, and said so far it appeared the Escalade was speeding — but they are still investigating how fast the teens were going. The speed limit for that stretch of the Belt Parkway is 50 mph.
“ It's very sad that we lost him,” Algaheim said.
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected] .
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