Felony Charges For Driver In Triple-Fatal Crash On the Southern State

MINEOLA, NY — A 28-year-old man who was arraigned Thursday over a high-speed crash in Amityville last year that killed three people faces multiple felony and misdemeanor charges.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced a grand jury indicted Matthew Whyte on charges of aggravated vehicular homicide (a B felony); vehicular manslaughter in the first degree (a C felony); three counts of manslaughter in the second degree (a C felony); three counts of assault in the second degree (a D felony); reckless endangerment in the second degree (an A misdemeanor); reckless driving (an unclassified misdemeanor); and driving while ability impaired by drugs (an unclassified misdemeanor).

The Laurelton resident surrendered to the New York State Police on Thursday.

According to the charges, at 8:56 p.m. Nov. 5, 2022, 18-year-old Ciara Hare was driving her 2004 Honda Civic eastbound on the Southern State Parkway near Exit 32 (Route 110, Broadway) with passengers 18-year-old Florence Oprisan and 22-year-old Jean Marc Miller.

Whyte was driving his 2018 Subaru WRX in the same direction. Prosecutors alleged he was traveling at a high rate of speed, weaving in and out of lanes of traffic and while impaired by marijuana.

An unapprehended driver in a third vehicle was also speeding, and driving recklessly, and appeared to be racing Whyte, prosecutors said.

Whyte crashed into Hare’s car, forcing it off the road and into a traffic camera pole on the right shoulder. Whyte’s vehicle also left the road, overturned, and landed in a wooded area a short distance away. The third — unidentified — vehicle kept going.

Both the Civic and the Subaru were severely damaged, prosecutors said.

Hare suffered extensive injuries and was trapped in the driver’s seat of her vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:20 p.m.

Oprisan was partially ejected through the front windshield. She was taken to Nassau University Medical Center where she was pronounced dead at approximately 2:59 a.m.

Miller was ejected from the vehicle and suffered extensive injuries. He died six days later at Nassau University Medical Center.

Whyte sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital.

According to the event data recorder from Whyte’s vehicle, its speed was approximately 93 miles per hour five seconds before it hit the Civic, prosecutors said.

Whyte pleaded not guilty, and bail was set at $150,000 cash, $300,000 bond, and $400,000 partially secured bond. He is due back in court Dec. 12. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison.

Countless other cars – and possible victims – were on the road, Donnelly pointed out.

"This selfish, dangerous behavior on our roads puts us all at risk and must stop," she said. "My office will continue to aggressively prosecute such criminal actions."

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Tara DePalo and Nicole Vota of the Vehicular Crimes Bureau. Whyte is represented by Victor Knapp, Esq.

The charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.