Sentenced for 100mph crash that killed two West Hempstead teens

Nylah Frazier, from West Hempstead, was sentenced to up to 9 years in prison for killing Amanda Arguinzoni, 17, and Kurtis Caeser, 19, who were passengers in her car during a high-speed crash in October 2021. 

Nylah Frazier, 20, pleaded guilty in February before Judge Caryn Fink to two counts of manslaughter and two counts of assault. Frazier was officially sentenced to 3 to 9 years in prison. The Nassau County District Attorney office recommended a sentence of 7 to 12 years.

“Nylah Frazier recklessly careened through a red light at more than 100 miles per hour and slammed into a parked dump truck with such force that her BMW flipped and ejected her friend, 17-year-old Amanda Arguinzoni and 19-year-old Kurtis Caesar, “said county DA Anne Donnelly. “The teenagers were killed instantly in the crash.

“Two families are forever heartbroken having lost these bright, young lives and all that their futures promised. Our thoughts remain with the Arguinzoni and Caesar families at this most difficult time.”

Arguinzoni was a senior at West Hempstead High School, while Caesar was a recent graduate of Cambria Heights Academy, in Queens, and worked for FedEx. 

Frazier surrendered to the police after a lengthy investigation, the DA office said.

On Oct. 21, 2021, at roughly 1 a.m., Frazier was speeding at over 100mph on Westminster Rd., in West Hempstead. She ran a red light, lost control of the vehicle, and crashed into the back of a parked dump truck. The impact of the crash flipped the car, ejecting Aguinzoni and Caeser. They were killed instantly.