Just before appearing in court, a Staten Island, New York man who was involved in an accident while allegedly intoxicated driving was informed that his pregnant fiancée and their unborn child had perished in the collision.
When a Dodge automobile smashed into a wooden pole in Staten Island, New York, at around 4:45 a.m. on January 28, Adriana Sylmetaj was ejected from the passenger seat. According to an NYPD spokeswoman who talked to Staten Island Advance, she had significant traumatic injuries. The crash forced Sylmetaj’s unborn kid out of her body.
According to CBS News, the driver of the car, Adem Nikeziq, 30, was later detained and charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and other counts.
Tuesday, before entering his court appearance, Nikeziq’s attorney informed him that Sylmetaj and their unborn child had passed away. After first hearing the news, he was spotted crying outside the courtroom. Before appearing in court, I told my client that his fiancee and unborn child had perished in the tragedy, Nikeziq’s attorney Mark Font tells PEOPLE.
“It is agreed that this was a horrific accident, but not every accident rises to the level of criminality. As of today’s date, the prosecutor has not supplied any evidence that alcohol was involved in this tragedy.”
According to Font, Nikeziq entered a not-guilty plea at his hearing on Tuesday. A Buy Buy Baby online registration reveals that Nikeziq and Sylmetaj are expecting a girl, due on April 12, 2023.
“She was excited when she learned she would be a mother. It was something new to her. She couldn’t wait to see the baby born,” Sylmetaj’s brother, Al Sylmetaj, told the Daily News. “They were thinking about names, but I don’t think they came to any decision. … They were planning on a baby shower.”
He added, “She loved life, man, always happy, always outgoing. The family was all expecting the baby. My two kids — I have a 5-year-old and 6-year-old, and to have another baby around, we were expecting it and looking forward to it.”
According to the publication, Nikeziq arrived in court being pushed in a wheelchair and wearing a hospital gown after sustaining minor injuries and being transferred to a nearby hospital.
According to the New York Post, Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Agostino stated that the victim’s body was found at a nearby junction. “Twenty feet past her body, her severed leg was discovered. She was discovered 20 feet past her leg with her unborn child torn from her body.”
Agostino claimed that before Nikeziq drove into a barrier, he had already been driving erratically following “a night of drinking.” Nikeziq is being jailed on a $400,000 cash bail or $700,000 bond.
