Uber driver comes after New York teen dies

HUNTINGTON, NY –

An Uber driver is facing the dead in the dead of a Long Island teenager who fell to the pavement after prosecutors say he was allowed to ride on the roof of the vehicle.

Fifteen-year-old Ryan Mullen, of Laurel Hollow, suffered a traumatic brain injury and died after having arrived at a friend's house following the ride.

The driver, 24-year-old Danyal Cheema, is a second-degree manslaughter and was arraigned in Suffolk County Criminal Court Monday morning.

$ 200,000 lease. His license was also suspended.

"This was an incredibly bad decision by the defendant, a bad decision by the boys involved, obviously," Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini said. "But at the end of the day, that defender is an adult, and he failed to do that."

The incident took place just after midnight on September 23 in Huntington Station.

Prosecutors say Mullen was with two other teens and that Cheema had accepted $ 40 to allow Mullen and another teen to "car surf" on the roof of his Toyota Highlander SUV.

Two of the passengers climbed to the roof, while the third recorded incident on Snapchat. Mullen then fell off the vehicle and struck his head on the roadway.

Cheema drove the three teenagers to their destination at a residence in Huntington. Mullen, who had suffered severe head trauma, succumbed to his injuries in his sleep later that day.

Mullen's family is outraged and demanding answers. Why did Cheema let the boys try the stunt, and why did not he call 911 when Mullen fell?

"What if the driver was responsible enough to say no?" Matthew Mullen said in an interview with Eyewitness News reporter NJ Burkett. "What if he reacts differently and got his medical attention?"

If convicted, Cheema faces a maximum sentence of five to 15 years in prison. Police say he has confessed on video.

"Unfortunately, the defendant made a reckless decision, and he will be held accountable," Sini said. "There's no doubt about that."

Uber issued the following statement: "Words in the face of this problem have not been removed.

Watch more from Matthew and Janice Mullen as they speak about the case and the outreach of their son's death.