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Jan 10, 2006 9:36 pm US/Eastern
Cops: Drunk Driver Killed Staten Island Teenager
by Tanya Rivero
STATEN ISLAND (AP) ―
An 18-year-old passenger in a car on Staten Island was killed early Tuesday when, police say, the Hyundai in which she was riding was struck by an SUV driven by a drunk driver.
The woman who was killed was Mariana Edkins of Edgegrove Avenue on Staten Island. Her sister Dolores, 23, said, "she was an angel, an angel."
The driver of the other vehicle, a 1995 ford explorer was John l. Sambuco, 21, of Lucille Avenue on Staten Island, according to police.
A man who heard the crash said it sounded like the cars exploded, and said Sambuco jumped from his flipped over SUV wearing no shirt, and cursed in apparent anger over the crash.
The collision occurred at 12:30 am on Woodrow Road and Latham Place with the suv, according to police, driving on the wrong side of the road.
Bill Smith, a spokesman for the Staten Island D.A. said Sambuco told police in a statement he had been drinking beer and had taken the prescription antidepressant xantax. Sambuco is being held at the 120 pct. stationhouse until he's arraigned on wednesday when he will face charges of manslaughter, dwi, and criminal possession of a weapon, a knife.
Dolores Edkins and other members of her family including an Uncle, Rob Armstrong, went to the scene of the horrific crash to place a floral wreath in honor of Mariana. They then stood and quietly prayed.
Mariana Edkins was a graduate of St. Joseph By The Sea High School on Staten Island. Relatives say she had been attending Staten Island University.
(© 2006 CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
