Police: O’side man may face charges in fatal accident

An Oceanside resident could face criminal charges for allowing his 18-year-old girlfriend to drive his van, which struck and killed a Hempstead woman on her front lawn last week.

Police are investigating whether Brian Steele Jr. knew that Kayla Gerdes was under the influence of painkillers when she took control of the vehicle and killed 69-year-old doctor and zoologist Rebecca Twine-Wright.

According to police, Twine-Wright was mowing her lawn at her Cathedral Avenue home on April 20 when Gerdes — who was on her way to a court appearance in Mineola to face charges of stealing her mother's jewelry — lost control of the construction van, which careened over a curb and struck Twine-Wright before crashing into her house.

Police said that Gerdes, who did not have a driver's license, was high on the painkiller OxyContin when Steele turned the wheel over to her after she complained about his slow driving. Gerdes pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree manslaughter, second-degree vehicular manslaughter, driving while ability-impaired by drugs and driving without a license.

Gerdes has gained the attention of the media with her emotional pleas for sympathy and an unsympathetic comment: According to a court statement and media reports, she said that she didn't feel so bad because the victim was old. Her attorney, John Lewis, however, has said that Gerdes is devastated and that her comments were taken out of context. Lewis did not return calls for comment.

Police are now focusing on Steele's role in the incident, and why he allowed Gerdes to take the wheel of his van. "Detectives are continuing their investigation to determine if he had knowledge that she was DWAI," said Nassau County Police spokesman Det. Vincent Garcia, who explained that it is too early to determine what, if any, specific charges Steele may face. "There are no charges yet," Garcia said, "but it is under investigation."

According to police and Steele's attorney, David Weisman, Steele had only know Gerdes for a few weeks. Weisman said they had met at a gas station while Gerdes was buying a pack of cigarettes, and the two began dating.

Weisman confirmed that Gerdes, of Freeport, had a troubled life. Her mother's boyfriend had allegedly beaten her, Weisman said. She had a drug problem as well, and was arrested last February on drug charges in Florida.

Steele not only gave Gerdes a job at his roofing business, he let her stay with him in his parents' basement in Oceanside. "He felt bad for her," said Weisman. "She had been thrown out of her house and he arranged for her to stay with him. She was staying there for a few days. He didn't know her long at all. I know him, he's a good guy, a hard-working guy."

Calls to Steele's home were not returned. However, his father, Brian Steele Sr., spoke with the New York Post about his son's relationship with Gerdes. He told the newspaper that she worked as a bookkeeper, a job his son had given her because they were dating.

According to several sources, the days leading up to the incident had been tumultuous. Gerdes had been arrested the night before and charged with shoplifting. The morning of the accident, Steele and Gerdes had been involved in an argument with his father.

"He and his father had a fight, and that's when they left the house," Garcia said. "When they left, he was driving the van. At some point she took over the vehicle."

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