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Danyal Cheema, of Huntington Station, pleaded guilty last week to second-degree manslaughter, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Cheema admitted that three teenagers offered him $70 to car surf on his 2010 Toyota Highlander on Sept. 23 last year, police said. Cheema acquiesced and ultimately paid him $40 to climb on the roof while going through an intersection in Huntington Station.
Two teens - including 15-year-old Ryan Mullen - stayed on the roof as Cheema took off, while a third posted a video on Snapchat. Mullen fell off the roof during the car surf and hit his head on the road. His injury was not immediately clear, he went to sleep later that night and died from skull and brain injuries, officials said.
The medical examiner's office ruled the Mullen’s cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head.
At the time of Cheema’s arrest, Uber issued a statement saying, “words cannot describe how deeply troubled we are by this incident. Our thoughts are with the rider’s family during this difficult time. This driver has been permanently removed from the app."
Cheema is expected to receive a minimum of 10 months behind bars and five years of post-release supervision. No sentencing date has been announced.
"This is a sad day for us. We remain heartbroken. We are sorry for our son Ryan who had his life taken at far too young an age," Mullens’ family said in a statement released following the sentencing. "Our family continues to feel the pain of his loss every moment of every day."
"Despite our deep pain, we appreciate Mr. Cheema accepting responsibility for his actions. Although he made a number of extremely poor and reckless decisions that night, we know that he did not set out to hurt Ryan. He too will have to carry the burden of Ryan’s death with him for the rest of his life. Our thoughts go out to him and his family as well."
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