43°
Eight others were hospitalized following the crash on the southbound on the Palisades Interstate Parkway between Exits 1 and 2 in Englewood Cliffs shortly after 1:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 2.
George Massey, 54, of the Bronx was driving the Ford Econoline E350 passenger van, which landed on its side in a wooded area of the median, Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Lt. Raymond E. Walter said.
The victims -- all Dominican immigrants -- were coming from the Chester, NY, warehouse of Amscan, a division of the retail giant Party City. They'd worked the 4 p.m.-to-midnight shift picking and packing, stocking, shipping or receiving customer orders.
Killed along with Massey, were fellow New York City residents Clara Estrella, 49, Jose Luis Romero Munoz, 59, and Candida Frias, who would have turned 60 on Saturday.
Estrella's sister was among those hospitalized.
"It is with heavy hearts that we can confirm our Chester Distribution Center team suffered the loss of three valued team members early this morning," a spokesperson for Party City said in a statement.
"We are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic car accident that occurred and offer our most heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those affected," the statement reads. "We pray for the recovery and healing of the additional team members injured in the accident."
Seven ambulances in all responded along with PIP police and firefighter rescue units who extricated a half-dozen victims, they said.
AirMed One from Hackensack University Medical Center airlifted one of the survivors after landing at Witte Field in Englewood Cliffs.
Of the eight total survivors, most were taken to Hackensack University Medical Center and the rest to Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center and Jersey City Medical Center.
They had "various injuries ranging from severe head trauma to minor physical complaints," Walter said.
The Bergen County Prosecutor's Fatal Accident Investigations Unit joined parkway detectives in investigating the crash. The Bergen County Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Identification collected evidence.
Mutual aid responders included police from Englewood, Englewood Cliffs and Tenafly, firefighters from Fort Lee and Englewood Cliffs and Hatzolah Ambulance Rescue, Walter said.
The parkway remained closed for several hours.
******
ALSO SEE: A man admiring the view from atop the cliffs near the George Washington Bridge fell nearly 60 feet, authorities said after he was rescued by rappellers. READ MORE HERE....
******
Click here to follow Daily Voice Cliffside Park-Edgewater and receive free news updates.
