MINEOLA, N.Y. — A Laurelton man was sentenced Thursday to up to 13½ years in prison for a 2022 crash on the Southern State Parkway that killed three people, after prosecutors said he was speeding at nearly 100 miles per hour while under the influence of marijuana.
Matthew Whyte, 29, pleaded guilty in February to multiple felony charges including Aggravated Vehicular Homicide and three counts of Manslaughter in the Second Degree. The sentencing stems from a high-speed collision on November 5, 2022, that took the lives of 18-year-olds Ciara Hare and Florence Oprisan, and 22-year-old Jean Marc Miller.
Key Points
- Matthew Whyte sentenced to 4½ to 13½ years for fatal marijuana-impaired crash
- Crash killed three people, including two 18-year-olds and a 22-year-old
- Whyte was driving 93 mph on Southern State Parkway before impact
2022 crash caused when speeding driver struck vehicle, killing all occupants
According to Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly, Whyte was driving a 2018 Subaru WRX eastbound near Exit 32 on the Southern State Parkway while weaving through traffic and racing another vehicle when he struck a 2004 Honda Civic driven by Ciara Hare. Hare’s car was forced off the road and collided with a traffic camera pole, while Whyte’s vehicle overturned into a wooded area.
“Three young lives were stolen because of Matthew Whyte’s reckless decision to drive high on the notoriously treacherous Southern State Parkway,” Donnelly said in a statement. The DA’s office had recommended a longer sentence of 7 to 21 years.
The collision severely damaged both vehicles. Whyte survived with non-life-threatening injuries and was treated at Good Samaritan Hospital. The driver and both passengers in the Civic, however, succumbed to their injuries — Hare was pronounced dead at the scene, and Miller and Oprisan died days later at Nassau University Medical Center.
Vehicle data and toxicology reports confirm high-speed, drug-influenced driving
An analysis of the event data recorder from Whyte’s vehicle indicated he was driving 93 miles per hour just five seconds before impact. Toxicology results showed 6.8 mcg/L of active marijuana in his system approximately four hours after the crash, confirming he was impaired at the time of the collision.
Whyte was formally arrested by New York State Police on December 7, 2023. The third driver allegedly involved in racing Whyte before the crash was never identified and fled the scene.
The case was prosecuted by members of the Nassau County District Attorney’s Vehicular Crimes Bureau and District Court Trial Bureau. Whyte was represented by attorney Steve Raiser.
DA office pledges aggressive prosecution in drugged driving cases
While sentencing Whyte, Judge Christopher Quinn delivered a prison term of 4½ to 13½ years, falling below the prosecution’s requested range. DA Donnelly reaffirmed her office’s commitment to targeting drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
“This sentence will never undo the pain this defendant has caused Ciara, Florence, and Jean Marc’s families,” Donnelly said.