A New York resident, Marvin Redondo-Funes, 25, is currently in custody after an incident on a highway that led to the tragic deaths of his niece and three nephews. Redondo-Funes is facing charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and driving with a suspended or revoked license causing severe bodily harm, as announced by the Florida Highway Patrol.
According to a criminal complaint, Redondo-Funes was driving his girlfriend and the four children from New York to Florida for a vacation in July 2023. The incident occurred in the early hours of July 1, as Redondo-Funes was driving on Interstate 95 near the Georgia-Florida border.
As the group neared the “Florida Welcomes You” sign, Redondo-Funes reportedly reduced his speed to 1 or 2 miles per hour to capture a photograph. The sudden decrease in speed was not noticed by the following vehicle, which subsequently collided with the rear of Redondo-Funes’ car, as per the Florida Highway Patrol officials. The highway’s speed limit is 70 mph, with a minimum speed of 40 mph.
The four children were seated in the back seat of the vehicle, which was designed to accommodate only three passengers. It was reported that three of the children were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident. Emergency medical personnel declared three of the children dead at the scene, while the fourth child was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead two days later. The identities of the children have been withheld from the report.
Redondo-Funes reportedly admitted to driving the vehicle, despite his license being suspended by court order. Neither he nor his girlfriend sustained serious injuries in the crash, and the driver of the other vehicle was also unharmed.
A GoFundMe page revealed that the children were aged 10, 12, and two were 14 years old. They were en route to Miami. Redondo-Funes was arrested in New York and extradited to Florida on November 2. He is currently held in the Nassau County Jail on a $270,016 bond.
The Florida Highway Patrol issued a statement following the incident, stating, “A picture is never worth a human life.”