A woman is being charged with three counts of manslaughter, negligent homicide, and assault after a harrowing crash left a mother and her two young children dead. But the reason behind the incident may send chills down your spine.
During a press conference, New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Miriam “Ellie” Yarimi was behind the wheel of her Audi A3 on Saturday, March 29 when she first crashed into an Uber before plowing into Natasha Saada. The 34-year-old was walking from a Shabbat service with her three children: 8-year-old Diana, 5-year-old Debra, and 4-year-old Phillip, when Yarimi crashed into them, per police. Saada, Diana, and Debra died, while the 4-year-old remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Yarimi was speeding, “probably doing close to twice the speed limit” and “ran a red light,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.
Yarimi, who was driving on a suspended license and had racked up more than $10K in fines — $1,345 still unpaid — in addition to nearly 100 parking and camera violations, was taken to Bellevue Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation after making concerning remarks after the crash. According to ABC 7, Yarimi told first responders that she “had the devil” in her and was “possessed.” She also claimed the CIA had been following her.
On March 23, the 32-year-old posted a video of what she says was a hidden camera in her bathroom on Instagram.
“For months, I said I was being watched. I said something was off. I said I didn’t feel safe. And I was made to feel crazy for it. Tonight, at 11:28 PM, I found a hidden camera inside the vent of my bathroom,” she wrote in the caption. “So for anyone who doubted me, questioned me, whispered about me, or stood by silently while I broke down trying to explain what I felt — I wasn’t wrong. I wasn’t unstable. I wasn’t paranoid.”
Yarimi, who is also the mother of a young daughter, is still hospitalized in stable condition. She goes by “Ellie” on social media, and is a wigmaker by profession, which is noted in her vanity license plate that reads “WIGM8KER.”
Mayor Eric Adams called their deaths a “really, really tragic tragedy” during a church stop Sunday, March 31 — right before visiting the victims’ home.
“Number one, the person should not have been on the road,” Adams said of Yarimi. “[They have a] suspended license. We’re going to ensure that this is investigated to the full extent. My heart goes out to the family.”
Saada, her 8-year-old and 5-year-old were laid to rest in Israel this week.