5 children killed near NYC had been seen 'panhandling' right before crash: report

New details have emerged in the deaths of five Connecticut children who were killed last month in a fiery crash outside New York City.

The children ranging from 8 to 17 years of age were in a Nissan Rogue that veered off the Hutchinson River Parkway in Scarsdale (Westchester County, New York) and caught fire after striking a tree at around 12:20 a.m. March 26.

The children, identified as Zahnyiah and Shawnelll Cross, their half-brothers AJ and Andrew Billips and 16-year-old Malik Smith Jr. (the driver of the vehicle), were seen “interacting in a way that suggested they were panhandling” a few hours before the crash at a New Jersey shopping center, News 12 in Westchester County reports.

A 9-year-old boy who was riding in the trunk of the vehicle was the lone survivor.

The children had also been seen panhandling last year in Connecticut.

In an August 2022 incident in Milford, Connecticut, the children were reportedly seen at a Boston Post Road parking lot asking for food and money, according to a police report obtained by News 12.

The children gave false information to the police and the younger kids appeared nervous.

The children told police they were raising money for a youth basketball team, but authorities couldn’t find records of the team. TheConnecticut Department of Children and Families facilitated their return home.

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