Photos show how roadside memorials allow mourners to share grief over Hylan Boulevard crash victims

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – It’s been more than a week since a tragic car crash on the South Shore took the lives of three teenagers on July 10.

The three, Ashley Rodriguez, 15 and siblings Fernanda Gil, 16, and Jesie Gil, 15, perished when a Mustang they were riding in crashed on Hylan Boulevard near Richard Avenue in Pleasant Plains.

The 16-year-old driver of the Mustang survived the crash. His name has not been released by authorities.

In the days since the crash, mourners have created twin roadside memorials in honor of the victims on Hylan near the crash site.

The memorials have grown day by day. They include photos of the victims, crosses with the names of the victims inscribed on them, and personal messages to the lost teens written on utility poles.

The deadly crash occurred at about 8:50 p.m.

Police said the three victims were riding in a Ford Mustang traveling at an “unsafe speed” when it collided with a 2017 GMC Yukon being driven by Maher Asi-Mahmoud, 47, of Morganville, N.J.

The Mustang was eastbound on Hylan Boulevard while the Yukon was headed west on Hylan, said police.

As the Yukon was turning left onto southbound Richard Avenue, the Mustang swerved from the left lane into the right lane, police said.

The Yukon then struck the driver’s side of the Mustang, police said.

The Mustang careened into a tree, splitting the car in half and ejecting the two rear-seat passengers before striking a utility pole, police said.

The driver of the Yukon was later charged with driving with a suspended license.

The 16-year-old driver of the Mustang had a learner’s permit. Under state law, he should have been driving with a licensed adult in the vehicle. No charges have been filed against the Mustang driver.

Here’s a look at how mourners visiting the accident site have remembered the teen victims of the crash.