An Uber passenger has died after an allegedly intoxicated driver struck her on a New York highway early Sunday morning.
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The fatal incident occurred at approximately 2:30 a.m. local time on the westbound Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, near Exit 28 in the DUMBO neighborhood.
Authorities have since identified the victim as Chasna Telemaque, 37, of Prospect Park South in Brooklyn.
Uber Passenger Killed After Exiting Moving Vehicle on New York Highway
Telemaque was traveling in the back of a Toyota RAV4, reportedly operating as an Uber, when she suddenly "exited" through the vehicle's rear door and entered the right lane of the expressway.
A Hyundai Elantra, driven by 29-year-old Destiny Mendez, subsequently struck and killed Telemaque.
Police allege that Mendez, a resident of East Flatbush, Brooklyn, was intoxicated at the time of the collision.
Investigators have yet to establish why Telemaque left the moving vehicle or whether she fell from the car or attempted to escape.
Authorities have charged Mendez with vehicular manslaughter, driving while intoxicated and driving while ability impaired. Reports also mention a vehicular assault charge.
Police confirmed that the two vehicles never collided and that the RAV4's driver, a 33-year-old man, remained at the scene following the incident.
Young Girl Rescued After SUV Rolls Into Missouri Pond
In a separate incident, a 3-year-old girl narrowly escaped tragedy after an SUV carrying her rolled into a pond in Missouri, prompting a dramatic rescue by several bystanders.
The incident occurred near an apartment complex in St. Peters, approximately 30 miles outside St. Louis, on Thursday, November 5.
At around 8 a.m. local time, Megan Kohlhaas parked her GMC Yukon near the pond before walking her three older children to a nearby bus stop.
According to the St. Peters Police Department, investigators believe the young girl accidentally shifted the vehicle into gear, causing it to roll toward the water.
Several bystanders rushed toward the SUV and desperately attempted to break its windows as water began filling the vehicle.
Kohlhaas explained that her neighbor managed to smash the rear window, allowing another bystander to pull her daughter from the rapidly flooding SUV.
Kohlhaas suffered a foot injury during the ordeal, while emergency personnel transported her daughter to a nearby hospital.
Several people who assisted with the rescue also sustained minor injuries.
