Mount Pleasant police pursuit ends in double-fatal crash; 2 illegal guns recovered
Ryan Herrera, 20, of Yonkers, was driving a red Toyota Supra on Route 9 when he veered off the road and crashed into a tree, killing himself and his passenger, 21-year-old Jaden D. Sanabria, of the Bronx.
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A police pursuit ended in a double-fatal crash in Mount Pleasant on Friday, according to the Mount Pleasant Police Department.
Ryan Herrera, 20, of Yonkers, was driving a red Toyota Supra on Route 9 when he veered off the road and crashed into a tree, killing himself and his passenger, 21-year-old Jaden D. Sanabria, of the Bronx. Officers found two stolen semi-automatic pistols in the car.
Authorities say the pursuit began around 4 a.m. when a patrol officer spotted the Toyota traveling around 100 mph. The officer pulled onto Route 9a and attempted to catch up to the car, turning on its emergency lights for a better view when they spotted it was approaching an intersection on Route 9a and North State Rd in Briarcliff Manor.
According to investigators, the car did not have a license plate and was equipped with extremely dark window tints. The Toyota took off and the officer lost sight of it again.
Police say the officer spotted debris in the road and a vehicle's headlights shining in the brush near the Route 100 northbound entrance ramp.
According to authorities, the officer stopped and realized the Toyota had crashed, prompting a request for medical assistance and backup.
Both Sanabria and Herrera were found unresponsive inside the car, which was heavily damaged, complicating rescue efforts, according to investigators.
Police say a backup officer climbed onto the Toyota's hood and saw Sanabria lying across the front console with a pistol next to his hand.
Officers secured the gun and removed Sanabria from the car, which cleared their view into the driver's side. They then saw Herrera in the driver's seat, with a gun between his legs.
According to authorities, officers secured the second weapon and removed Sanabria from the Toyota.
Both men were not wearing seatbelts, had balaclava coverings on their faces and lacked any form of personal identification.
Police say paramedics rushed Sanabria and Herrera to Westchester Medical Center, where they died.
Investigators say they discovered that the Toyota had been rented through a social media platform. Its rear license plate had been removed before the crash and it did not have a front license plate.
The renter allowed investigators to access the GPS that recorded the Toyota's speed - it showed the car drove over 100 mph multiple times Friday morning and, at one point, was traveling 134 mph.
Police say the men would have been charged with criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of stolen property. Herrera would have faced additional charges, including unlicensed operation of a vehicle, reckless driving and unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle.
The Attorney General's Office of Special Investigations is tasked to look into the incident.
