Heckenberg crash: Mother breaks down after son and daughter killed in Mercedes crash in Sydney’s southwest
A supposedly stolen Mercedes was seen flying down a suburban street moments before crashing head-on into another car, killing a brother and sister.
Alina Kauffman, 24, and her brother, Ernesto Salazer, 15, were just meters from their home in Heckenberg, southwest Sydney, when they were attacked at around 9:20 p.m. Friday night.
The Mercedes crashed into the Toyota Echo that Mrs. Kauffman and her brother were in before it hit a stationary Toyota RAV4 and flipped onto its side.
The two siblings died at the scene, while their mother Angelina Kauffman was returning to the scene of the crash on Saturday when she burst into tears.
The RAV4’s occupants were unharmed, while police claim the Mercedes’ occupants fled the scene after the horror crash.
NSW Police confirmed a 20-year-old man has been arrested after turning himself in at Liverpool Police Station on Saturday.
He has yet to be charged as the investigation continues.
Angelina Kauffman burst into tears after returning to the scene of a horror car crash that killed her two children in Heckenberg, Sydney’s southwest
Alina Kauffman, 24, was killed in an accident Friday night
CCTV footage reportedly shows the Mercedes driving at high speed down a residential road just minutes before the crash.
Ms. Kauffman had picked up her brother from his new job at Kmart and the pair were almost home when they were beaten.
Their mother was inconsolable as she shared her heartbreak on Saturday.
“My daughter, she is such a beautiful girl, she loves her brother,” Angelina told reporters.
“And my son, he loves his sister. Now my son is gone and my daughter is gone. My children are gone and I have to live without children for the rest of my life. Why? I do not understand.’
NSW Ambulance paramedics treated the siblings, but they both died at the scene.
Ernesto Kauffman, 15, died Friday night in a horrific car crash in western Sydney after a black Mercedes collided head-on with the car he was in
Angelina had arrived at the scene of the accident just minutes after her children were hit.
“Alina called me and said, ‘Mommy, I picked up my brother, we’re going to get some food and then we’ll come home,'” Angelina said.
‘I said ‘are you okay’ and they said ‘yes mom’.’
Not hearing from them for 20 minutes, Angelina and her other child traced their location through social media.
“The police came and told me my children had died. My beautiful children,’ she continued in tears.
“These people beat my children and left them to die.”
Alina Kauffman, 24, was the driver of the Echo involved in Friday’s head-on collision and died at the scene (pictured)
Horrifying camera footage shows how the Mercedes drove across a road just before the horror crash
A crime scene was established and the Mercedes was subsequently seized by the police and later subjected to forensic examination.
After colliding with the two vehicles, the three occupants of the Mercedes climbed out of the overturned car and reportedly fled in a Volkswagen Golf.
Acting Deputy Commissioner Anthony Boyd said high speed is believed to be a contributing factor to the collision.
“The evidence at this stage suggests that the Mercedes crossed the wrong side of the road, trying to overtake the car in front and collided head-on with the Toyota,” the assistant commissioner told reporters on Saturday.
“I think it’s disgusting behaviour. I think the nature of the collision itself is completely unacceptable behavior.
“And then to flee the scene and fail to provide assistance to the people in a vehicle, you might have been able to provide some form of first aid that may have helped save their lives.”
Commissioner Boyd said police were still establishing the relationship between the vehicles involved and their occupants, with the three occupants of the Mercedes not being in the second vehicle when it was stopped at a later point.
He confirmed that the black Mercedes had been reported stolen.
An 18-year-old man was arrested on Saturday for driving in the Gulf. He has since been released without charge.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
The driver of the Echo (pictured), 24, and her 15-year-old passenger – a sister and brother – were treated at the scene by paramedics but could not be rescued
NSW police arrested a 20-year-old man around 2pm on Saturday as authorities continue to investigate the fatal accident with no charges filed