New York limousine company owner involved in crash that killed 20, found guilty of second-degree manslaughter

Nauman Hussain, the operator of the limousine company responsible for the deadliest U.S. crash since 2009, has been found guilty by a jury of 20 counts of second-degree manslaughter and now faces 15 years in prison.

The 2018 New York State crash killed 20 people after a Prestige Limousine failed to brake and drove through an intersection and crashed into a parked Toyota Highlander at 100 mph.

The SUV then struck two pedestrians outside Apple Barrel Café.

The limousine, which had been hired by a group celebrating a 30th birthday party, crashed into a shallow ravine and came to rest on the embankment.

The driver, 17 passengers and the two pedestrians were killed. Among them were four sisters and their husbands.

It later emerged that the limousine had failed an inspection by the State Department of Motor Vehicles last month, but Hussain removed a disused sticker from the limousine’s windshield.

The brakes on Hussain’s white limousine failed, causing it to crash through an intersection and crash into a ditch

The jurors deliberated for several hours on Tuesday and Wednesday before reaching their verdict.

Family and friends of the victims could be heard gasping and crying today as it was read to the packed courtroom in Schoharie County, southwest of Albany.

Hussain is arrested in October 2018

The driver was also found on October 6, 2018, to have been driving without the proper permit for the 30-foot, five-ton, 2001 Ford Excursion vehicle.

The vehicle’s brakes had failed at 100 km/h, allowing the vehicle to travel down a long hill and eventually reach speeds of approximately 160 km/h. a 2020 report found by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Hussain now awaits his sentencing hearing, scheduled for May 31.

He ran the unlicensed limousine business from a motel his family owned in the town of Wilton, 40 miles north of Albany.

Hussain accepted a plea deal in September 2021, agreeing to five years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service — an agreement that relatives of the victims found wildly lenient.

In August 2022, Supreme Court Justice Peter Lynch overturned the plea deal, forcing Hussain to stand trial.

New York State Police said the 2001 Ford Excursion limousine failed to stop at the intersection of State Route 30 and State Route 30A at around 1:55 p.m. in Schoharie, near Albany

Sisters Allison King (back row, second from left) Abby Jackson (front left), Amy Steenburg (front right), and Mary Dyson (back row, Allison’s right) were all killed in the crash

Amy Steenburg celebrated her 30th birthday and was killed in the crash along with her husband Axel

Newlyweds Erin and Shane McGowan (left) and Patrick Cushing, Erin’s cousin, were killed in the crash, while his girlfriend Amanda Halse (right) was killed in the crash

Victims Amy Steenburg (left picture) is pictured on the right with her husband Axel (left) and his brother Rich (right). Rich was also killed in the crash. Abby Jackson and husband Adam are seen (right)

The verdict concludes a nearly five-year struggle for justice by the families of the victims.

Hussain, who was free on bail during the trial, was taken into custody following the verdict.

Special Prosecutor Frederick Rench told jurors during his closing statement that “Mr. Hussain caused the deaths of the victims by failing to fulfill his duty to ensure the vehicle was roadworthy.

“There’s no doubt what his duty was.”

Amanda Rivenburg (left) died in the crash, along with Michael Ukaj (right)

Brian Hough was a professor and was one of the pedestrians killed in the wreckage

Scott Lisinicchia, 53, was the driver behind the wheel of the 2001 Ford Excursion that crashed. He is pictured with his wife Kim

The trial, which had been delayed by Covid restrictions, rested after six days despite it being expected to take weeks.

The trial had struggled to select a jury from the small country town because so many had been affected by the crash.

Schoharie County District Attorney Susan Mallery, Hussain and Lynch’s attorneys agreed prior to trial that a pool of 1,500 potential jurors would be needed — a figure that represents 5 percent of Schoharie County’s population.

Kindlon, Hussain’s attorney, told Lynch at the time, “I think it’s going to be hard to find a jury.”

The lawyers questioned 90 prospective jurors a day before compiling the final panel of 12 who found Hussain guilty.