A mother and two children from north London have been killed in a devastating car crash while walking home from a synagogue in New York.
Natasha Saada, 34, and her daughters Diana, eight, and Debra, five, were killed on Saturday afternoon at a pedestrian crossing in Brooklyn.
Ms Saada’s four-year-old son was also hit during the collision and is fighting for his life in hospital, the New York Police Department (NYPD) said during a press conference following the crash.
The family were originally from Mill Hill and are well known in the north London Jewish community.
Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet, a family friend and the rabbi at Mill Hill Synagogue, told the Standard the local community was left “grief-stricken” by the tragic crash.
He said: “Natasha was born and bred in Mill Hill. She was raised here. She grew up here.
“She moved away when she got married in New York. She and her sister married two brothers in New York.
“The whole Mill Hill community is grief-stricken. Natasha is fondly remembered by many.
“They were a beautiful family. Her parents still remain in Mill Hill.”
The rabbi explained that Ms Saada’s husband has been left “utterly bereft” and remains in a state of shock following the death of his wife and two daughters.
The family had been due to fly to London this week to celebrate Passover, which begins on April 12, the rabbi added.
Rabbi Schochet travelled to Israel earlier this week to join Ms Saada’s family for her funeral. The family are understood to have since flown to New York and are expected to remain there until after Passover.
Mill Hill Synagogue is understood to have told its members about the crash in an email over the weekend.
During a press conference, the NYPD explained the crash was allegedly caused by a woman driving a blue Audi despite her license being suspended.
“This was a horrific tragedy caused by someone who shouldn’t have been on the road,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters.
“A mother and two young children killed, another child fighting for his life, a family and a neighbourhood devastated in an instant.”
The driver was identified as 32-year-old Miriam Yarimi, who reportedly had to be cut out of her vehicle following the collision.
Shortly after 1pm local time on Saturday a silver Toyota Camry, carrying a family of five tried to turn right on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, Commissioner Tisch explained.
The car was struck near the rear bumper by a blue Audi before the vehicle shot forward and struck the mother and her three young children as they were walking over the crosswalk.
The three victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
The NYPD explained it was investigating whether the driver had gone through a red light or if she was intoxicated while driving.
Ten people were injured in total during the “senseless tragedy”.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams called the crash “a tragic accident of Shakespearean proportion”.
The mayor told reporters: “To see a mother and two children lost to a vehicle crash. This is extremely concerning and painful not only to the city of New York in general but specifically to a close-knit community.
“A mother going for a simple stroll on a sunny day was struck and killed… I can not imagine the pain of the family.”
Police investigations into the crash are ongoing.
