Driver charged with murder of six-year-old pregnant mother in NY after verbal clash for smoking

February 21, 2019, 22:12 GMT

By Farnoush Amiri

A man from upstate New York State was charged with murder after driving his car into a family of eight while they were in front of a 7-Eleven store, killing the mother who was pregnant , according to the police.

According to police, 35-year-old Jason Mendez intentionally entered the family after a verbal altercation with father Sean Deloatch, who asked him not to blow cigarette smoke at the six children at the school. outside the Garnerville convenience store, part of Haverstraw. , New York.

According to the police complaint, Mendez drove his car through the parking lot of the store, hitting the family shortly before 2 pm. Wednesday.

"The vehicle hit with such force that it continued to enter the building, seriously damaging the front of the building," said Thursday a press release from the Haverstraw Police Department. "The driver then pulled back the vehicle and made a second trip ahead, hitting Deloatch and his family."

When the police arrived at the scene, they found Mendez in his car, waving a knife. Police said that after repeatedly being told not to drop the knife, police warned them.

Mr. Mendez was charged with second degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder, as well as threats, resistance to arrest and criminal detention of a weapon during a trial. Wednesday. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him.

NBC News was not able to immediately determine if he had a legal representative at that time.

Melissa Deloatch, 32, wife of Sean Deloatch and mother of six of the couple's children, was seriously injured and declared dead at the hospital, police said. She was pregnant for a few weeks, depending on the family.

The remaining seven family members at the scene sustained life-threatening injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital. The six children are between 10 months and 10 years old.

"It's a nightmare," Joan Christopher, mother of Melissa Deloatch, told NBC News Thursday. "I'm just trying, I'm just living, you know, being there for my grandchildren, being there for my son-in-law."

Cindy Schnalzer, witness of the incident occurred in the 7-Eleven store, told NBC New York that after the family had been hit, "I heard the father, he was telling the cops "I told him not to blow smoke in front of my family. kids. "

Mendez was transferred to the Rockland County Penitentiary Center on Wednesday night and will stay there until his preliminary hearing, scheduled for February 26th.