Brooklyn wigmaker accused of fatally ploughing into a 32-year-old mother and her two young daughters told first responders she was “possessed” and “had the devil in,” New York Post report citing law enforcement sources.
The 35-year-old Miriam Yarimi, is facing manslaughter charges over the devastating crash that took place on Saturday afternoon in Gravesend. When members of the Hatzolah Jewish ambulance service reached her overturned Audi, she reportedly rambled, sources told the New York Post.
It has also been revealed that Yarimi had been recently ranting about being pursued by the CIA. At present, she is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation , in the prison ward at Bellevue Hospital, before her arraignment.
A funeral was held on Sunday for Natasha Saada and her daughters, Diana, 7, and Deborah, 5, who were killed in the crash. Saada’s four-year-old son, Philip, was also critically injured and remains in hospital.
After the service, Saada’s father was set to fly to Israel with the bodies of his daughter and granddaughters for burial. Meanwhile, her husband will stay behind with their youngest child, a baby, and sit shiva while also keeping vigil at their injured son’s bedside, sources said.
Photos from the family’s home show furniture, including beds, being removed to accommodate visitors expected during the traditional Jewish mourning period.
Yarimi, whose driver’s licence was suspended at the time of the crash, refused to speak to police following her arrest, only requesting a lawyer, sources said.
Her Audi, which bears the personalised licence plate “WIGM8KER,” has a history of traffic violations. Online records revealed more than 93 offences, including 20 speeding tickets, racking up over $10,000 in fines.
Among her violations is a 16 March ticket for allegedly speeding through a Brooklyn school zone, along with 20 speed-camera offences and five red-light violations since August 2023, records show.
Dashcam footage from the crash shows the moment Yarimi’s Audi flipped over and ploughed into the family as they crossed the road. Several other people were also injured.
Police said the car first collided with an Uber before veering onto the pavement and striking pedestrians in its path.
The deadly incident is currently under investigation.
