TikToker charged with manslaughter after killing 'devoted' mum and two children when she hit them with her car

Miriam Yarimi, aged 35, has been charged with three counts of second-degree manslaughter, three counts of criminally negligent homicide, and four counts of second-degree assault after the fatal incident, which happened over the weekend in Brooklyn, United States.

Natasha Saada, aged 32, and her two daughters, Diana, age 7, and Deborah, 5, were killed at the scene. Saada’s four-year-old son, Philip, was also struck in the accident and is still in a critical condition in hospital. The family were leaving Shabbat services at a synagogue on Saturday, (March 29), when the incident happened.

Yarimi reportedly had to be forcibly removed from the vehicle by firefighters and was reportedly in a stable condition following the crash. The social media star claimed she was “possessed” at the time of the accident. She allegedly told members of the Hatzolah Jewish ambulance service: “The devil entered me, I’m possessed,” according to law enforcement sources, as reported by local news.

She also claimed she was being pursued by the CIA. Yarimi was taken to Bellevue Hospital’s prison ward for a psychiatric evaluation and is awaiting arraignment. According to police, Yarimi lost control of her Audi and hit another car, causing her vehicle to swerve on to the pavement and hit nine pedestrians. The star, who was driving with a suspended license, was arrested the next day. It is unclear if Yarimi was speeding or had ran a red light.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams called the fatal car crash a “tragic tragedy” and also paid a visit to the home of the victims. “Number one, the person should not have been on the road. [They have a] suspended license. We’re going to ensure that this is investigated to the full extent. My heart goes out to the family,” he said.

One neighbour of the Saada family told CBS that it was “incomprehensible” what had happened to them. The unnamed person said: “The kids’ laughter filled the street. Now there’s a terrible silence.” Another unidentified neighbour told the publication Sada was “a devoted mother who didn’t deserve such a fate.”

Yarimi, who was 32,000 followers on TikTok, is a mum-of-one known online as Ellie and is also a professional wigmaker. She is said to have committed a number of driving violations in the past, including 93 traffic infractions, and has been handed more than $10,000 in fines as a result. She supposedly has a personalised registration plate which reads 'WIGM8KER'.

A funeral service for the mum and her daughters was held on Sunday (March 30). “Shabbat was Natasha’s whole world—and on Shabbat, she left us,” a rabbi reporteldy said during the eulogy.

Saada’s dad is said to have accompanied the bodies of his daughter and grandchildren to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, for a burial. Her unnamed husband remained in New York with Philip and observed shiva, the traditional Jewish mourning period, while also looking after his injured son.