Three Brooklyn rabbinical students were killed yesterday when their car smashed into a tree as they drove home from an upstate summer camp where they worked as counselors, police said.
A fourth student also in the car remained in serious condition with injuries last night at Nyack Hospital in Rockland County, where the tragedy occurred.
News of the deaths rocked the extremely tight-knit Lubavitcher religious community, which embraced the students since they arrived in Brooklyn from Israel two years ago.
“They were all so energetic and intelligent,” said one stunned friend, as he and several others gathered outside the Matthew B. Rosenhaus Dormitory at 749 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, where the victims lived, last night to mourn their pals.
Police identified those who died as Guy Britton, 29, who was driving, and two passengers, Shlomo Nachimovski, 21, and Or Vahaba, 22.
The third passenger who was injuried was identified as Yaron Vavli, 24.
The early-morning crash occurrred on Route 9W, south of Old Route 304 in Haverstraw, police said.
Britton was driving a 1998 Dodge Stratus into a small curve when he went off the road for an unknown reason and slammed into the tree, police said.
Friends said the men had been working as camp counselors with kids for the past three weeks and were on their way home – expecting to arrive back at the dormitory later yesterday.
Pals said they got the terrible news well before the four were to have arrived back home safely.
“We didn’t even have time to be worried,” said one mourning friend.
The victims attended the United Lubavitcher Yeshivoth.