By:Jerry Burke
Police Wednesday identified the deceased boys as 14-year-old Jose Hernandez and 13-year-old Ferman Bravo, both from Elmont.
The driver of the minivan, John Singh, and his 14-year-old son, who was sitting in the passenger seat, were transported to South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside and are listed in stable condition. A 12-year-old boy was taken to South Nassau and is listed in guarded condition with a leg fracture and a possible internal injuries while another 12-year-old was taken to Nassau University Medical Center with neck and back injuries and is also in guarded condition.
A third car involved in the accident, a Chevy Blazer carrying a West Hempstead woman and her 5-year-old daughter, had been stopped at the traffic light at the intersection of Hill Avenue and Hempstead Turnpike with Singh's minivan stopped behind them at 4:55 p.m.
Police say the Jeep, driven by Vernon Ketcher of Elmont, was traveling eastbound toward the intersection. According to Det. Lt. Kevin Smith of the Nassau County Public Information Office, witnesses observed Ketcher "driving at about 50 to 60 miles an hour and weaving in and out of traffic before reaching the intersection." Smith said Ketcher may have fallen ill.
The Jeep violently impacted into the minivan and then into the Blazer in front of it. The occupants of the Blazer, Cynthia Aponte and her daughter, were treated at the scene.
The Elmont and Franklin Square Fire Departments as well as Nassau County Police responded to the scene and had to saw the minivan's roof off in order to get to the four boys trapped inside.
The investigation is continuing and the names of the young victims will not be releases, police say, until they are sure relatives have been notified. More coverage of the accident and its aftermath will be available in next week's edition of the Herald.
