Hylan Boulevard near Ross Avenue · Saturday, January 28, 2023, about 4:30 a.m.
A 30-year-old Staten Island man was charged with manslaughter and driving while intoxicated after police say he lost control of his car on Hylan Boulevard and crashed into a pole, killing his fiancee, Adriana Sylmetaj, 23, who was pregnant.
What police say happened
According to police and news reports, Adem Nikeziq was driving a Dodge sedan on Hylan Boulevard near Ross Avenue at about 4:30 a.m. when the car struck a barrier wall in front of the Hylan Diner, spun, and hit a utility pole. The car broke apart. Ms. Sylmetaj, a graduate of New Dorp High School who worked in health care, was pronounced dead at the scene, and her unborn daughter did not survive. Mr. Nikeziq had minor injuries and was taken into custody after treatment at Staten Island University Hospital North. Officers reported signs of impairment at the scene.
The charges
At his arraignment on January 30, 2023, Mr. Nikeziq faced charges including manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, vehicular assault, assault, driving while intoxicated, driving while ability impaired and reckless endangerment. Bail was set at $400,000 cash or a $700,000 bond.
What those charges mean
The charge list shows how prosecutors build a fatal-crash case in layers. Criminally negligent homicide, a class E felony, requires only a failure to see a substantial risk. Second-degree manslaughter, a class C felony, requires recklessness: consciously disregarding the risk. The DWI counts carry the alcohol, and the vehicular counts link the impairment to the harm. If one theory fails at trial or in plea talks, the others remain.
What prosecutors must still prove is causation: that the impairment or the reckless driving caused the death. In a single-car crash at night, the defense looks hard at speed, road conditions, the vehicle, and exactly when and how the blood or breath test was taken.
How the case ended
The Staten Island Advance later reported that Mr. Nikeziq pleaded guilty. We were not able to confirm the final charge or the sentence from an official source, and we will update this page if we do.
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This article is drawn from public court filings, official releases and news reports, and is provided for general information only. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt. Every person is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. Nothing here predicts the outcome of any other case, and nothing here is legal advice.