A Queens man was sentenced Friday to up to 18 years in prison for a 2025 drugged driving crash on the Southern State Parkway that killed his sister and another passenger, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.
Anne T. Donnelly announced that 20-year-old Jaden D’Souza received a sentence of 7 to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to multiple charges tied to the fatal crash.
Prosecutors said D’Souza was driving a 2016 Dodge Dart eastbound near Exit 30 on the Southern State Parkway on Jan. 12, 2025, at approximately 11:05 p.m. when he lost control of the vehicle while speeding and changing lanes aggressively.
Investigators said the car veered off the roadway and slammed into a tree on the grassy shoulder before flipping upside down.
Two passengers riding in the backseat were killed in the crash. D’Souza’s 21-year-old sister, Haily D’Souza, became trapped inside the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene. Another passenger, 23-year-old Crystal Alba-Figueroa, was ejected from the car and also pronounced dead at the scene.
A 23-year-old male passenger riding in the front seat suffered serious injuries, including spinal fractures and a traumatic brain injury, and was transported to Nassau University Medical Center.
Authorities said debris from the crash also caused a secondary collision when a spare tire detached from D’Souza’s vehicle and struck another eastbound vehicle, forcing it into a guardrail and injuring that driver.
“The defendant’s extreme recklessness stole the lives of two young women, including his own sister,” Donnelly said. “Haily and Crystal’s families are left grappling with a void that shattered their world. The defendant’s actions are a reminder that driving while impaired leads to tragic and preventable deaths.”
According to prosecutors, investigators recovered cannabis products from inside the wreckage and surrounding debris field, including THC-infused products, rolling papers, a bong, and lighters.
A court-authorized test of D’Souza’s blood sample allegedly showed a high level of the active impairing component of cannabis in his system at the time of the crash.
Data pulled from the vehicle’s event data recorder showed D’Souza was traveling 123 miles per hour when he lost control, prosecutors said.
D’Souza pleaded guilty on March 23, 2026, to aggravated vehicular homicide, two counts of second-degree manslaughter, assault, and driving while ability impaired by drugs.
Prosecutors had recommended a sentence of 7 to 21 years in prison. He ultimately received a sentence of 7 to 18 years.
