NYPD officer accused of drunken driving in crash that killed woman celebrating sister's birthday

QUEENS, N.Y. — A Long Island woman acting as the designated driver for her sister’s 21st birthday celebration was killed in a crash that investigators said was caused by an off-duty police officer who was drinking and driving.

Vanessa Raghubar, 22, of Elmont, died Monday of injuries she suffered in the crash, which occurred early Sunday, according to the New York Post. Raghubar, a native of Georgetown, Guyana, underwent surgery for internal injuries and a broken pelvis before her death at Jamaica Hospital.

Raghubar’s cousin told the Post that Raghubar went so far as to turn down a sip of alcohol to toast her younger sister, who the family celebrated with dinner and time at a bar. Raghubar planned to drive family members home after the gathering.

"They did blood tests at the hospital after she was hit (and) it showed she didn't have a drop," Diana Chand told the newspaper.

Raghubar was taking her sister, Maria Raghubar, and her sister's boyfriend home around 4 a.m. Sunday when the Honda she was driving was struck from behind on the Van Wyck Expressway in Queens, the Post reported. The impact pushed the car into a tree and a light pole.

An off-duty New York City detective, Neville Smith, was driving the Mercedes that hit Raghubar’s car. Smith, 32, was initially charged with multiple counts of vehicular assault, driving while intoxicated and refusal to take a breath test.

New York court records on Wednesday showed that the charges were upgraded to include vehicular manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in Raghubar's death.

Queens District Attorney Richard Brown told WABC-TV in New York that drinking and driving is a "deadly combination."

"The defendant, a police officer bound to enforce the law, is now accused of breaking the law, and with deadly consequences," Brown said. "An innocent woman, just 22 years old, is dead. The others in the vehicle with her were also injured."

Raghubar's family told WABC-TV on Monday that Maria Raghubar, who was also critically injured, spent much of Monday in surgery as doctors tried to save her life. Her boyfriend, Justin Harricharra, suffered head, back and spinal injuries.

"It's really foggy," Harricharra, 20, told the news station. "What I remember was waking up in the hospital and them telling me I was in an accident."

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Vanessa Raghubar, a York College senior studying psychology, was anticipated to graduate in June. Family members described her bond with her younger sister as “closer than twins.”

"My daughter was such a sweet child," Raghubar's mother, Janice Perry, told the news station. "My daughter was so educated. She had a big future ahead of her. And that someone would just take her life is wrong. The cop was wrong."

“We need justice for our baby,” Perry said. “She can’t -- it can’t go like this. We need justice.”

Friends and strangers alike mourned Raghubar on social media.

The Root reported that Smith was placed on a 30-day suspension without pay following his arrest.

Cox Media Group