Bronx Family Devastated by Deadly Queens Crash

THE BRONX — Four of the five passengers killed in the SUV accident that left two children dead early Sunday lived in the same Bronx home, police said Monday evening.

The accident occurred at 3:18 a.m., when the 2008 Mercedes SUV smashed into a concrete pillar and flipped, killing three women and two children.

Some cousins who visited the crash's survivors at Jamaica Hospital said the passengers were all in one family. Relatives said they had been headed home from a yearly convention held by the Arondizuogu Patriotic Union of North America, which brings expats of one Nigeran town together from across the U.S.

Many of passengers shared a home in Van Nest, including the young girl, Munachismo Obioha, 8, and the young boy, Ebube Obafor-Mba, 9, according to police.

Another woman, Chiwe McDonald, 45, died, and was also shown as living at the address with the family.

Oby Okora, 46, the woman police said was driving, survived the crash and also lives at the address, along with Kingsley Maduka, 26, a passenger who survived.

The third child in the car, Cjidechukwu Obioha, 7, survived the crash, and also lives at the home.

Police said that Gladys Nnena Johnson Obioha, 60, also lived in the Bronx house, but a cousin at the hospital said that Obioha, who was a community activist and leader for other women from her Nigerian village, actually lived in Michigan now and was just staying there during her visit.

Finally, Christine Epchon, whose age was unknown, also died in the crash police said, and lived in the East Flatbush area of Brooklyn.

A family member declined to comment Monday night at their Van Nest home, but a neighbor said everyone was still in shock.

"They don't know how to cope, not with five people dying," said the man, 46, who did not wish to give his name. "It's shocking," he said, of his own reaction.

"It's people I see all the time. The little girl used to be out here playing all the time," he said.

Police do not believe any criminality was involved, but said an investigation was ongoing.

The car was headed east on Atlantic Avenue when it collided with a pillar that supports the AirTrain tracks near the Van Wyck Expressway, police said.