Driver Who Let Passenger Burn Alive On BQE Was Intoxicated, DA Says

GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — The driver who hailed a cab after his car burst into flames on the BQE, leaving his passenger to die, was intoxicated at the time of the crash, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.

Saeed Ahmad, 23, has been indicted on charges including second-degree murder, second degree vehicular manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident and driving while intoxicated, the D.A.'s office said. The office did not say exactly how high his blood alcohol content was, but it was greater than the legal limit of .08.

Ahmad faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted, the D.A.'s office said. He has been ordered held without bail and will return to court in January.

"This defendant’s alleged actions before and after crashing his car caused the death of a vibrant young woman who had her entire life ahead of her," Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. "He showed complete disregard for human life and for the safety of everyone using our roadways, making the very serious charges he now faces wholly appropriate."

Ahmad was driving on the BQE after a night out in Manhattan with his friend, Harleen Grewal, the passenger, the D.A.'s office said. Authorities initially described Grewal as Ahmad's date, but family and friends have since said they were only friends.

The pair were driving between Hamilton Avenue and the Prospect Expressway exits at high speeds when Ahmad crashed into a concrete barrier, authorities said.

The car burst into flames, and Ahmad got out. He was captured on video hailing a cab while the car was still engulfed in fire.

Ahmad didn't call 9-1-1 or tell anyone that there was someone else in the car, the D.A.'s office said. After they put the fire out, authorities found Grewal's dead body in the front seat.

Ahmad's family has said that he tried to save the girl before fleeing the scene.

Image via Joshua Longmore, Twitter, used with permission