In some horrible news out of Long Island, two 14-year-old tennis prodigies have been killed in a fatal car accident on Thursday with one of them completing the coin toss for the 2021 US Open Men's Final between Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic.
Drew Hassenbein and Ethan Falkowitz were killed while driving with two other boys 16 and 17 who are both in a stable condition in hospital. The Alfa Romeo was struck by an alleged drunk driver who was driving the wrong way down the Long Island Expressway.
“The male subject tried to leave the scene on foot,” captain Stephen Fitzpatrick of the Nassau County Police Department said to the Long Island Press.
He added: “It was probably one of the most catastrophic scenes I have seen in a long time. If you had been there, you would have seen the debris field, it was almost like the car exploded.”
Amandeep Singh was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, two counts of manslaughter second degree, vehicular manslaughter, two counts of second degree assault, leaving the scene of a death and driving while intoxicated and will be held without bail until May 8.
“The kids were on a tennis team for their school. They were at a local tennis event and then went to get food at the mall,” Fitzpatrick said.
“They were on their way home from a restaurant.”
Hassenbein himself was ranked 38th in the US for 14 and under players and was a rising star in youth tennis before his tragic passing.
Horrible news from Long Island: one of the boys killed was Drew Hassenbein, a highly-ranked young player who was chosen to perform the coin toss between Djokovic and Medvedev before the 2021 US Open men’s final.
Two teenage boys are dead and two more are in the hospital after a gruesome late-night crash allegedly caused by a wrong-way intoxicated driver in Jericho. 4.nbcny.com/sEN7jXt
