Four Kids Die After New York Man Attempts To Take Picture of Florida Welcome Sign
Authorities claim a New York man's attempt to capture a photo of the "Welcome to Florida" sign led to a fatal car crash, claiming the lives of his niece and three nephews.
25-year-old, Marvin Redondo-Funes, the New York man at the center of this heartbreaking incident, now faces charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and driving with a suspended or revoked license causing great bodily injury.
According to authorities from the Florida Highway Patrol, the accident occurred in July of 2023 after Redondo-Funes slowed his vehicle to a mere 1 or 2 miles per hour to take a photo of the state border sign. Regrettably, this sudden reduction in speed was not anticipated by a car driving behind him, resulting in a high-speed collision that directly impacted the area of the vehicle where the four children were seated.
Adding to the tragedy, authorities say that the car's back seating was only designed for three occupants, yet all four children were squeezed in for the journey from New York to Florida. What's more, three of the children were reported to not have been wearing seatbelts at the time of the collision.
The consequences of the crash were horrific. Three of the children tragically lost their lives at the scene, while the fourth child was rushed to a hospital, only to succumb to their injuries two days later. The ages of the young victims were 10, 12, and two of the kids were 14. The names of the children were not disclosed by authorities.
A GoFundMe campaign was created by family members to aid with funeral costs for the siblings.
The involvement of Redondo-Funes resulted in his arrest, where he was extradited to Florida on November 4 to face the repercussions of the accident. He now remains in custody, held at the Nassau County Jail on a bond of $270,016.
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