Police ID 3 Killed In LI Crash After Sweet 16 Party

NEW HYDE PARK, NY — It was supposed to be a night of celebration. But in a matter of hours, a girl's Sweet 16 party in New Hyde Park was overshadowed by a horrific crash that killed her grandmother and two other relatives.

Nassau County police have identified the three women killed by a suspected drunken driver on Saturday as 66-year-old Marlene Lu, of Woodside, Queens, 68-year-old Ho Hua, also of Woodside, and 41-year-old Tu Nguyen, of Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina.

Authorities said Lu was the mother of the host, Hua was the aunt of the host, and Nguyen was the cousin of the host.

The crash happened outside a catering hall on Jericho Turnpike, called The Inn at New Hyde Park, around 11:11 p.m. on Saturday.

Dante Lennon, 22, of Freeport, was driving a Mercedes Benz sedan that T-boned a Lincoln Town Car as it was leaving the venue. Surveillance footage of the accident appears to show the Mercedes traveling at a high rate of speed. A police spokesperson could not confirm how fast the car was going, however.

A driver and five passengers were in the Lincoln Town Car. Lu, Hua, and Nguyen — the three rear passengers — were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The driver and other passengers were taken to local hospitals for treatment and are in stable condition.

Authorities have identified them as a 73-year-old man, a 67-year-old man, and a 42-year-old man. The oldest patient, who suffered from neck and back pain, has been discharged from the hospital. The 67-year-old man fractured his clavicle while the 42-year-old man fractured his ribs. They both remain in the hospital, according to police.

Lennon, who was driving alone, was charged with three counts of vehicular manslaughter, vehicular assault, and driving while intoxicated. Police said he was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday afternoon from his hospital bed.

An investigation into the crash is ongoing.