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Teen mourned after fatal Route 202 crash in Ramapo

Marcos Tawil died shortly after the crash. He was mourned at his school, which held a service for him early Thursday afternoon.

Matt Spillane and Steve Lieberman
slieberm@lohud.com
A Rabbi consoles a group of young men after leading the funeral procession of Marcos Tawil, 19, at Yeshivat Tiferet Tora in Ramapo on Thursday, September 08, 2016.  Tawil, 19, from Argentina, died as a result of a two car accident on Route 202 in front of the Yeshiva on Sept. 7, 2016.

RAMAPO - A 17-year-old from Argentina struck and killed late Wednesday by a car driven by an off-duty Peekskill police officer had arrived a week early at his school on Route 202 to help get it ready for other students.

Tears were shed at a funeral service held Thursday afternoon at the school for Marcos Tawil, who was described as industrious, courteous and helpful by an acquaintance, Binah Mishli, She said she was a friend of the school's rabbi and knew both Tawil and a second teen, David Maldanado, 19, of Monsey, who suffered serious injuries and is hospitalized at Westchester Medical Center.

"He did the grunge work," Mishli said of Tawil's work for the school, calling him "a wonderful boy, very jovial and helpful and very respectful. He was a very studious boy. He had a love of Torah."

She said Maldanado had the same attributes. "We are praying for him," she said, adding Maldanado's parents and family were at his bedside.

Tawil died at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern shortly after the young men were struck in the dormitory driveway of Yeshivat Tiferet Tora at 996 Route 202, also known as Haverstraw Road, Ramapo police said.

The two-car accident was reported at 11:50 p.m. Wednesday. Ramapo Police Detective Lt. Mark Emma said it occurred when a 2016 Lexus driven by rookie Peekskill Police Officer Jonathan Mosquera of Suffern drove up behind a 2008 Honda driven by Tzvi Hakakian, 19, of Monsey. Hakakian was slowing down in the eastbound lane of Route 202 and preparing to turn left into the driveway, Emma said.

Mosquera, 24, who was heading to work, apparently was attempting to pass the Honda on the left when the two cars side-swiped each other. The Honda continued going east, Emma said, while the officer's Lexus crossed over the westbound lane and struck the two young men.

The funeral procession of Marcos Tawil, 19, is led across the lawn of Yeshivat Tiferet Tora in Ramapo on Thursday, September 08, 2016.  Tawil, 19, from Argentina, died as a result of a two car accident on Route 202 in front of the Yeshiva on Sept. 7, 2016.

The school held a service for Tawil early Thursday afternoon before young and older men carried his coffin out of the school, setting it inside an SUV. People in the procession could be seen praying and a man Mishli identified as a relative of Tawil's was crying.

Mishli said Tawil was an only child whose father recently passed away. She said his body would be returned to Argentina for burial.

Mishli said the two young men had been waiting for a ride when they were struck. She said they had illuminated the lights on their cell phones to show their location to the driver who was coming to get them.

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Police Chief Brad Weidel said the police and EMS personnel evaluated the officer at the scene and there was no indication he was under the influence of alcohol. The officer was evaluated for alcohol again at the hospital, he said.

"We're still interviewing people," Weidel said. "We have plenty of forensics from the scene and are trying to put the pieces together. It's too early to tell whether anything will happen with regards to charges."

Police also are planning to have Mosquera's car inspected, Emma said.

Peekskill Police Chief Eric Johansen confirmed that Mosquera is a city police officer and had been on his way to work, but declined further comment.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all involved in this tragic incident," Johansen said.

City council records indicate Mosquera was sworn in as a member of the police force in February. He previously spent 10 months as a police officer in Newburgh before transferring to Peekskill, Newburgh Police Chief Daniel Cameron said.

The crash and subsequent investigation closed Haverstraw Road into Thursday morning.

A Ramapo police vehicle blocks Route 202 at the corner of Wilder Road on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016. The road reopened at 8:30 a.m.

Arash and Sara Hakakian and Neal J. Klatzko purchased the one-family colonial-style home in December 2011 for for $615,000, according to the Ramapo Tax Assessor's Office website.

The school had operated for a time with a temporary certificate of occupancy after opening in violation of town zoning and building codes. In 2013, the Rockland Board of Health fined the Hakakians and Klatzco $900 for operating a rooming house without a permit and for failure to get proper permits for a sewer system.

The property was granted a permanent certificate of occupancy as a school and dormitory in February 2016, and all of its inspections are current, Ramapo's Chief Building Inspector Anthony Mallia said in an email. The Hakakians are affiliated with the Sephardic Congregation of South Monsey.

Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence called the death a tragedy and said speeding has long been an issue along that stretch of Haverstraw Road. He said the town has spoken with the state about lowering the maximum speed limit.

"It's always tragic when we have a loss of life," he said. "This is a stretch along Route 202 that's problematic and we've spoken to the state about (it). I will be writing the state again."

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