Three People Die in Tragic Crash on Rt. 17

A Jewish family returning from the Catskills Monday afternoon was involved in a horrific car accident on Rt. 17, leaving the parents and future son-in-law dead. Two sons and a daughter, the kallah, are hospitalized in stable condition.

Morris Faitelewicz, z”l, a Hatzolah member from the Lower East Side, along with his wife Beth, a”h, and Yehuda Bayme, z”l, lost their lives. The kallah, Shani, as well as the couple’s two other sons Avi and Yaakov, were helicoptered to Orange Regional Medical Center near Monroe and are listed in stable condition.

Papers, bags and boxes containing the family’s possessions lay strewn across Rt. 17 near Exit 112, with the mangled car listing on the side of the road.

Yanky Meyer of Misaskim told Hamodia that he was working with the Medical Examiner’s Office and did not have levayah details yet. He said that weather did not appear to play a role in the crash.

“I’m standing here at the scene and it’s a horrible scene,” said Rabbi Meyer.

Bayme, who lives in Riverdale, became engaged to Shani Faitelewicz at the end of June. He had gone to help the family return from their summer home.

Reached by phone, Chaim Lazar, who supervised Morris Faitelewicz at Hatzolah, said that he was trying to arrange for the levayah and could not talk at the moment.

Mr. Faitelewicz, a longtime Hatzolah member, was the citywide inspector at the New York State Auxiliary Police.

He was commanding officer of the EMS unit at the World Trade Center area during the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Ironically, Monday, 23 Elul, marked the 14th Hebrew anniversary of the attacks.

Mr. Faitelewicz received a New York City Council proclamation in September 2002 honoring the unit for its volunteer work at Ground Zero on and after 9/11, as well as at other major incidents. He also was awarded the Port Authority’s Exceptional Service Award in June of 2002 for his work at Ground Zero.

His wife Beth had been a nurse at Beth Israel Hospital.

Yehi zichram baruch.

This article appeared in print on page 1 of the September 8th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.