An Uber driver was charged with manslaughter after a teen he let ride on the roof of his car died.
24-year-old Danyal Cheema picked up three drunk teens in Huntington on September 23.
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, the teens offered Danyal $70 and then $40 to allow them to ride on the roof of his 2010 Toyota Highlander.
He accepted the offer and two of the teens including 15-year-old Ryan Mullen climbed onto the roof of the vehicle while the third teen filmed them on Snapchat.
Ryan accidentally fell off of the car and hit his head on the road. He died in his sleep later that day from severe head trauma.
Prosecutors are holding Cheema responsible for making a “reckless” decision that resulted in the teen’s death.
“This was an incredibly bad decision by [Cheema] and by the boys involved,” Suffolk County DA Timothy Sini said in a statement. “But at the end of the day, this defendant is an adult who was contracted to safely bring those boys home and he failed to do that.”
Cheema pleaded not guilty in Suffolk County District Court on Monday.
His license has been suspended and his bail was set at $200,000 cash or $400,000 bond.
Danyal Cheema is scheduled to be back in court on November 9.
A bunch of horrible decisions were made that night.
