Fatal crash on Route 17 caused by wrong-way driver
Chester. Both drivers died and one passenger suffered serious injuries, per the police report.
Chester /
| 05 Mar 2025 | 04:08
On March 5 just before 2 a.m. the New York State Police responded to a report of a car crash on Route 17 westbound near Exit 126 in Chester involving two vehicles. According to the police report, a 2009 Nissan driven by Sydnie M. Haines, 25, of Blackwood, NJ, was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of Route 17 when the driver collided head-on with a 2014 Honda Odyssey. The driver of the Honda was identified as Mordichy Zafir, 54, of Kiamesha Lake.
Both Haines and Zafir were pronounced dead at the scene. A 17-year-old boy traveling with Zafir in the Honda, also from Kiamesha Lake, was seriously injured and was transported to Garnet Medical Center in Middletown for treatment.
This investigation remains ongoing. Anyone who may have witnessed the collision is urged to contact the State Police Monroe Bureau of Criminal Investigation at 845-344-5300.