Driver charged after passenger dies in Midtown Tesla crash
Alejandra Paharsingh was charged after a September 9, 2026, crash near East 42nd Street and Madison Avenue killed her passenger, Elise Suomi; police said Paharsingh continued east to Second Avenue before stopping.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police said Paharsingh was driving east on East 42nd Street when she mounted the sidewalk near Madison Avenue and struck scaffolding, a mailbox and a bus stop, then continued to Second Avenue before stopping. Her passenger, Elise Suomi, 27, suffered a severe head injury and died after being taken to a hospital; the Daily News and FOX identified Bellevue, while the Post said a nearby hospital. Suomi worked as a home health aide and was studying toward a nursing career.
Police said the driver continued east after striking street fixtures.
Police told the Daily News that Paharsingh was driving east on East 42nd Street at about 2:45 a.m. on September 9, 2026, went onto the sidewalk between Madison and Park Avenues, and struck scaffolding, a mailbox and an MTA bus stop before returning to the road. Police said she continued east and stopped at Second Avenue.
Accounts differ on the order of impacts and the reported time. The Post said Paharsingh struck a mailbox before scaffolding on Madison Avenue near East 42nd Street. FOX reported a crash at about 2:43 a.m. on East 42nd Street near Madison Avenue and listed a sidewalk shed, bus stop and mailbox without specifying their order; the Daily News reported about 2:45 a.m.
Reports place the crash near East 42nd Street and Madison Avenue.
The Daily News and FOX placed the crash on or near East 42nd Street at Madison Avenue in Midtown Manhattan; the Post described it on Madison Avenue near East 42nd Street. The Daily News reported that Paharsingh went onto the sidewalk between Madison and Park Avenues and continued east to Second Avenue. The accounts do not establish an exact impact point.
Reports describe the Tesla in different levels of detail.
The Daily News described the vehicle as a Tesla electric car. The Post reported a 2024 Tesla, while FOX identified it as a gray 2024 Tesla Model Y.
Suomi was raising a daughter and working toward a nursing career.
Elise Suomi, 27, lived in Harlem and had a 3-month-old daughter, her sister Jasmine Ortiz told the Daily News. Suomi worked as a home health aide and attended classes at Swedish Institute College of Health Sciences, hoping to become a certified nursing assistant.
Suomi's brother Angel said she and her six siblings grew up in shelters. “She was very motivated to beat the odds,” he told the Daily News. Ortiz said Suomi and Paharsingh had been friends since high school.
Paharsingh faced manslaughter and other charges.
Police reported charges of vehicular manslaughter, driving while ability impaired and leaving the scene. At her arraignment, prosecutors charged Paharsingh with vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatal accident without reporting it.
Prosecutors said Paharsingh told police she remembered drinking several drinks but did not remember driving on East 42nd Street. They also said her breathalyzer test read 0.229% about four hours after the crash.