Driver who killed mother, two children on Ocean Parkway sentenced to 3-9 years in prison

The Brooklyn woman who sped through a red light and killed a mother and two children on Ocean Parkway earlier this year was sentenced to three to nine years in prison on a plea deal on Wednesday.

Miriam Yarimi, 33, initially faced a maximum sentence of five to 15 years in prison. Last month, Judge Danny Chun offered Yarimi a plea deal despite objections from District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, who recommended she receive the maximum penalty. She accepted and pleaded guilty to three counts of manslaughter in exchange for a shorter sentence.

“This defendant is a reckless driver who cared about only herself when she raced in the streets of Brooklyn and wiped away nearly an entire family,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “She should not have been driving a car that day but, instead, she chose to callously ignore all traffic and safety laws when she caused this unspeakable carnage.”

Yarimi’s car on the scene of the crash in March. File photo by Lloyd Mitchell

Yarimi was tearful as she received her sentence in Brooklyn criminal court on Wednesday. Reading from a prepared statement, she said she was remorseful and regretted her decision to get behind the wheel that day.

Herschel Kulefsky, a lawyer representing the victim’s family, said they were “outraged” by Yarimi’s sentence.

“Even the maximum sentence probably would not be sufficient in this case, but this is the bare minimum,” he told reporters.

Kulefsky said Yarimi had previously refused to apologize to the Saada family, and that the apology she issued in the courthouse on Wednesday was “was only for the purpose of sentencing.”

Yarimi was tearful as she received her sentence, and one of her lawyers dabbed her face with a tissue. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

Joseph Ansel, one of Yarimi’s lawyers, said she had “spoken from the heart.”

“This was a tragedy of unspeakable proportions, and we hope that this can allow everybody to move on as best they can, to heal,” he said.

On March 29, Yarimi — whose license was suspended — sped through a steady red light at the intersection of Ocean Parkway and Quentin Road, slammed into the back of a turning vehicle, and drove into 34-year-old Natasha Saada and her three children, who were holding hands as they crossed Ocean Parkway in the crosswalk.

Saada and her two daughters, 8-year-old Diana and 5-year-old Deborah, were killed instantly. Her 4-year-old son survived but suffered skull fractures, brain bleeds and had to have a kidney removed as a result of his injuries.

The five occupants of the first car Yarimi hit — an Uber driver, a mother and three children — also sustained minor injuries.

The car Yarimi struck before striking the family in the crosswalk. File photo by Lloyd Mitchell

Yarimi’s car rolled several times before coming to a stop upside-down more than 100 feet from the crash site, according to the DA’s office. She suffered minor injuries, and had to be removed from her vehicle with the jaws of life. She had been traveling at 68 mph in a 25 mph zone, an investigation found, and did not apply the brakes before the impact. Surveillance footage showed Yarimi, a wigmaker and social media influencer, using her cell phone and taking video while driving immediately before the crash.

Records show that Yarimi, whose 2023 Audi had the license plate “WIGM8KER,” had racked up 108 parking and driving violations since 2023, and had been cited for failing to stop at a red light just days before the fatal crash.

In a letter to Chun dated Nov. 18, Gonzalez said Yarimi was “aggressive” and “displayed combative behavior” toward first responders trying to assist her after the crash. In the hospital, she claimed she had not hurt anyone, said the “devil was in her eyes,” and refused to submit to a breathalyzer test.

Gonzalez said Yarimi had “showed no remorse,” for the crash. While incarcerated and awaiting trial, she spoke to several people about the case by phone, he wrote. During one conversation, after being told she should apologize to the victims’ family, she said “Why should I apologize, I’m just as much of a victim as they are.” On another call, she said she could “put on a show” and “pretend I’m schizophrenic.”

Herschel Kulefsky, who represented the victim’s family, said he doubted Yamini’s sincerity.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

In the letter, Gonzalez said the Yarimi “should be held accountable for her actions,” and “is not above the law.” He asked that she be sentenced “as promised” to three counts of second-degree manslaughter.

“While today’s sentence is shorter than the maximum we recommended, it sends a clear message that reckless driving will be vigorously prosecuted and met with serious consequences,” Gonzalez said in a statement on Wednesday.

The DA also voiced his support for legislation like state Sen. Andrew Gounardes’ “Stop Super Speeders” bill, which would require that speed-control devices be installed in vehicles of the city’s most reckless drivers. The bill passed in the state Senate in June and was delivered to the Assembly, where it has remained untouched.

In a statement, Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, urged the Assembly to act, and said the bill “would have prevented this very crash.”

“This crisis is bigger than this crash, this horrible tragedy, or this prison sentence. While this driver might face prison time, this family and this community will never see justice while other repeat offenders continue to terrorize New Yorkers,” Furnas said. “Pass the bill before we’re all here again.”

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

Additional reporting by Lloyd Mitchell.