Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

NEWBURGH, N.Y. (AP) —
Police say a 10-year-old boy escaped through the window of a minivan as his mother drove herself and three children into New York’s Hudson River. The mother and three children died.
They say the boy swam to shore and ran for help.
Police say Lashanda Armstrong drove the minivan into the river in the city of Newburgh at about 8 p.m. Tuesday night. They say she was involved in a domestic incident right before she killed herself and the children. Another woman also escaped the van.
The boy told firefighters his mother had driven off a boat ramp and into the murky water of the river, Chief Michael Vatter said. Inside with her were the boy’s siblings: two boys, ages 5 and 2, and an 11-month-old girl.
Firefighters and police officers responded with boats. Divers searched for the minivan for about an hour before finding it submerged in 10 feet of water about 25 yards offshore. They used a heavy-duty tow truck to pull it up the boat ramp and onto land.
Everyone inside was dead, Vatter said.
The woman lived about six blocks from where she and her children perished, he said. Their names have not been released.
The unidentified woman lived in an apartment in a gritty part of this humble river city. Several neighbors on Wednesday recalled her as an attentive mother who balanced care of her children with an outside job. They were shocked by the news.
"She was a very good mom," said Tina Claybourne, who lives nearby. "She took care of her kids. She always was with her kids."
Neighbors said they did not know the woman’s name or where she worked. They said the children seemed energetic and happy and would play on the block and ride bikes.
"You know kids, they make noise, they play around," said Shantay Means, a downstairs neighbor.
The domestic altercation occurred about 10 minutes before the woman drove into the river, said Vatter, who didn’t have any more information on it. The concrete ramp was just a few blocks from her apartment.
The boat ramp was unguarded by gate or chain. There was no sign that anything tragic had happened save for a single teddy bear left at the end of a dock that runs alongside the boat ramp.
Newburgh, which has about 30,000 residents, sits on the western shore of the part of the river that runs south through New York state and eventually splits New York and New Jersey.

Message edited 4/13/2011 11:09:34 AM.

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

Ugh, saw this on the news this morning.
W
T
F
Would make this woman so angry thatnshe had to do this to three helpless children. And, how much guilt, sadness and confusion does the 10 year old have. That child will NEVErR be the same again.

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

Horrible.
My heart breaks for that 10 yr old. He has to live with this the rest of his life
May those 3 babies rest in peace

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

that is awful

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

What a tragic story.

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

Another woman ESCAPED?! and left those babies there to die?!

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

This is horrible

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

This is so awful.

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

what a horrible story!

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

i cant wrap my head around this! how messed up can you be to drive ur car into a river killing ur babies!! Where did the women that got out go, did she try to save the kids?! The poor boy that lived i cant imagine what hes going threw!

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

I saw this on the news this morning. Ugh, I don't know what's wrong with people.

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

my heart aches for this boy. I cant imagine how those poor babies in the car must have suffered. How can u hurt innocent children. if she didnt want to live anymore she should've driven herself into the river but why do that to her kids? She was obviously a very ill person

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

OMG, how awful.

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

I HATE stories like this. I can't bring myself to read most of them

W
T
F is wrong with you??

Kill yourself, leave your babies alone.

That poor 10 year old.

He will never be the same after this

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

I heard this on the news this morning. How absolutely tragic!!

I just cannot comprehend how sick you can be to hurt your own children (or any child for that matter). If you want to kill yourself, fine. But those poor, poor babies

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

Re: Mom drove 3 kids into NY river, surviving son says

I cant stop thinking about this, I am near tears at my desk.

What did those poor babies think? How could she do something like that? I can't even wrap my head around it.