Little Yasmeen never made it home that night. The three-year-old girl sat in the back of an SUV early Friday on Syracuse’s North Side when the vehicle left the road near Park and DeWitt streets and smashed into a tree.
Her seven-year-old brother rode with her. Their mother sat up front. The driver was Jazmine Vann, 25, who police say had been drinking. Prosecutors later said Vann admitted she had alcohol before getting behind the wheel.
Witnesses watched the SUV miss the turn onto DeWitt Street. It ran stop signs, blew through a red light, and hit a curb hard enough to launch the vehicle more than 30 feet through the air. The crash killed Yasmeen. Her brother suffered broken bones and went to the hospital.
Neighbors heard the impact and ran outside. Surveillance cameras caught them pulling people from the wrecked SUV. All four occupants went to Upstate University Hospital. Yasmeen did not survive.
On Sunday morning Vann appeared by video from her hospital bed for arraignment in Syracuse City Court. She faces 17 charges, including aggravated vehicular homicide, first- and second-degree vehicular manslaughter, first-degree assault, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
She also faces DWI charges under Leandra’s Law for causing a child’s death, plus reckless driving, failing to stop at stop signs, running a red light, unsafe lane changes, and child seatbelt violations. The judge sent her to the Onondaga County Justice Center once doctors clear her.
Police still want anyone who saw the crash or knows more about that night to call the Syracuse Police Traffic Division. The case remains open.
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