Mom and 2 of Her Children Dead After Car Collision in Brooklyn, While a Third Child Remains in Critical Condition

A mother and two of her young children are dead, and one other child remains in critical condition, following a car collision in New York City. 

Natasha Saadaher and her daughters — 8-year-old Diana and 5-year-old Deborah — were struck and killed by an Audi A3 Sedan while walking by Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn at around 1:04 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, the New York Police Department (NYPD) confirms to PEOPLE.

Natasha, 34, and her kids were allegedly hit by Miriam Yarimi — the driver of the Audi, per police — who authorities said first “collided with a 2023 Toyota Camry” driven by a 63-year-old man, before striking the family members while they were at a pedestrian crosswalk.

EMS transported Natasha and her kids to the Maimonides Medical Center, where the three “were pronounced deceased.” The other child, a 4-year-old boy, remains in “critical condition,” according to police.

Yarimi, 32, meanwhile, was brought by EMS to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn in stable condition, as the elderly man driving the Toyota was taken to the same hospital in stable condition, alongside his four passengers — a 4-year-old boy, a 5-year-old boy, a 12-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man, the NYPD said.

During a press conference, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tischa stated that Yarimi had been driving on a suspended license.

“I will call it like it is. This was a horrific tragedy caused by someone who shouldn’t have been on the road,” she said, adding: “A mother and two young children killed. Another child fighting for his life. A family and a neighborhood devastated.”

Tischa said during the press conference that authorities are currently investigating whether Yarimi ran a red light and whether speed played a role in the incident.

A breath test was also administered to Yarimi, to detect possible intoxication at the time of the crash, according to Tischa.

Current charges against Yarimi, the NYPD told PEOPLE, include manslaughter, reckless cause of death, criminal negligence homicide, assault, reckless driving, aggravated unlicensed operation, motor vehicle violation no license, traffic device violation and a speed violation.

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams called the ordeal “a tragic accident of Shakespearean proportion” at the NYPD press conference.

“To see a mother and her two children lost to a vehicle crash, this is extremely concerning and painful,” said Adams, 64.

“A mother gone for a simple stroll on a sunny day was struck and killed,” he continued, adding, “The city mourns this loss … I cannot imagine the pain of the family, but I will be visiting other family.”

The investigation remains ongoing. It is not clear if Yarimi currently has legal representation to comment on her behalf.