Driver accused in wreck that killed 3 faces judge

The man accused of driving drunk and causing a fiery wreck that killed two children and their father appeared in court on Monday. Police say 24-year-old Oneil Sharpe Jr., of Queens, was speeding on

News 12 Staff

Jul 14, 2015, 12:59 AM

Updated 3,209 days ago

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Driver accused in wreck that killed 3 faces judge
The man accused of driving drunk and causing a fiery wreck that killed two children and their father appeared in court on Monday.
Police say 24-year-old Oneil Sharpe Jr., of Queens, was speeding on the Southern State Parkway early Sunday morning when he slammed into the back of another car, which erupted in flames.
Ancio Ostane, a 37-year-old math teacher from Queens, was killed. His 8-year-old son Andy and his 4-year-old daughter Sephora also died in the crash.
Lucnie Bouaz-Ostane, wife and mother to the deceased victims, was able to escape the car and survived the crash. She said she tried to open the car door to rescue her children, but it was locked.
"I don't know how I am going to be living the rest of my life," she told reporters. "It's my kids and my husband who are gone."
Prosecutors say Sharpe abandoned his SUV on the highway and fled the scene after the accident. He was arrested four hours later at a relative's home in Rockville Centre. Court records show that his blood-alcohol level was at 0.06 percent when he was apprehended.
A law enforcement source told News 12 that a second arrest in the case is possible after someone may have picked Sharpe up at the crash scene. However, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said, "At this time our investigation is focused around this defendant [Sharpe]."
Sharpe's relatives packed the courtroom for his arraignment on Monday, but declined to comment on his arrest. Sharpe's attorney said the DA's case is "full of holes," and he questioned if Sharpe was even driving the car involved in the crash. "We entered a denial to all the charges and allegations," said the lawyer, Harry Tilis. "He is looking forward seeing this case through."
Sharpe, who does not have a criminal record, is being held on $500,000 bond. 
The Ostane family is in the process of making funeral arrangements.


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