Jaden D’Souza was behind the wheel on the Southern State Parkway when a drugged, high-speed crash took two young lives — including his own sister’s. Here’s what happened that night, and what the judge said in court.
A Queens man was sentenced to up to 18 years in state prison after a drugged, high-speed crash on the Southern State Parkway killed his own sister and her best friend — and left a fourth passenger permanently disabled.
Jaden D’Souza, 20, spent more than an hour at Nassau County Supreme Court in Mineola hugging and saying goodbye to family and friends who had gathered to show support before Judge Caryn Fink handed down the sentence on charges of vehicular manslaughter and related counts.
Key facts at a glance
- Crash date: Jan. 12, 2025, around 11 p.m.
- Location: Southern State Pkwy, near Exit 30
- Victims: Haily D’Souza, 21 (defendant’s sister); Crystal Alba-Figueroa, 23
- Fourth passenger: survived but suffered traumatic brain injury
- Sentence: up to 18 years; eligible for parole after 6 years
According to prosecutors, D’Souza was driving a 2016 Dodge Dart eastbound at a reckless rate of speed, weaving in and out of lanes while under the influence of drugs. In the backseat were his 21-year-old sister Haily and her best friend, 23-year-old Crystal Alba-Figueroa. A second male passenger, also 23, sat in the front seat.
Video recorded by Haily on her own cellphone captured just how fast her brother was driving moments before the crash. Dash cam footage from another driver showed D’Souza’s car blurring past — and seconds later, that same driver’s car was struck by a tire that flew off D’Souza’s vehicle when it hit a tree on the grassy shoulder. Haily and Crystal died on impact.
“The parkway became a race track. It was a series of deliberate and dangerous choices by the defendant.”
Katie Zizza, deputy bureau chief of vehicular crimes for the Nassau County DA’s office, did not hold back. “To get high, to drive at outrageous speeds, to turn the parkway into a race track,” she said, calling the crash the result of choices D’Souza made deliberately, one after another.
Crystal’s mother, Yajaira Figueroa, submitted a victim impact statement that was read aloud in court. “Crystal was not only my daughter — she was my entire life,” it read. “I trust that this court will consider the value of her life in the pain her absence has caused.”
“These families will be forever tormented from the actions of my client — but to me, he’s a kid who messed up badly. He has no prior criminal history.”— Donald Rollock, Defense Attorney
Rollock, who represents D’Souza, acknowledged the gravity of his client’s actions but urged the court toward compassion. “What happened can’t be taken back. There has to be accountability, but at the same time there has to be forgiveness,” he said outside the courtroom. “The family is torn. They had to bury one — and now one is going to jail.”
Rollock also took the moment to call for broader infrastructure reforms, arguing that speed cameras and license plate readers on highways — along with vehicle seizures for repeat offenders — could prevent future tragedies.
Judge Fink described the case as one of the most difficult of her career. “Heartbreaking all around,” she said from the bench. “Two innocent lives lost, one permanently injured, and a fourth young life going to prison.”
Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly used the sentencing as a public warning. “Don’t do this,” she said bluntly after court wrapped. “This is what leads to people dying. There’s a young man in that car who is now permanently disabled.”
D’Souza will be eligible for parole after serving six years, his attorney confirmed. His mother, Daniela D’Souza, was present in court but did not speak to reporters.
