Driver arrested in 2020 crash that killed 3 youths in NYC

NEW YORK (AP) — An 18-year-old driver has been arrested nearly two years after a crash that killed two teens and an 11-year-old during what prosecutors described as drag racing at a decommissioned airfield in Brooklyn.

Tamirlan Abylknov was arrested and arraigned Wednesday, pleading not guilty to criminally negligent homicide and other charges, police and prosecutors said. He was released without bail.

His lawyer’s name wasn’t immediately available, and no telephone number for his home could immediately be found.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said investigators found that Abylknov and Emil Badlov, both 16 at the time, were racing each other and doing “donuts” and other stunts in cars on a former runway at Floyd Bennett Field on July 11, 2020.

Abylknov’s car T-boned Badlov’s at about 70 mph (113 kph). The impact killed Badlov; his 18-year-old girlfriend, Margarita Sigdiyayeva, and her 11-year-old brother, Daniel Sigdiyayeva. Another passenger in Badlov’s Kia Forte was injured.

Abylknov and two passengers in his Toyota Camry had minor injuries.

“This case highlights the incredible dangers of drag racing,” Gonzalez said in a statement.

The deserted runway is in Marine Park, Brooklyn, near Jamaica Bay, and is part of the National Park System. It has attracted drag races for some time.