A January late-night drive on West Old Country Road in Hicksville has now become a felony case. On Thursday, March 19, 2026, a Nassau County grand jury indicted Frank Labidi on manslaughter and assault charges in connection with a violent crash that killed two 19-year-old Levittown women. Prosecutors say the BMW Labidi was driving veered into oncoming traffic, slammed into a tree and then a building, killing passengers Alexa Duryea and Lindsey Parke at the scene. Labidi has pleaded not guilty and, for now, remains out of custody on bail while the case heads into its next phase.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly told jurors that “speeding and reckless driving are not harmless thrills,” and argued that the deaths were “entirely preventable,” noting Labidi had raced professionally, according to CBS News. The indictment charges him with multiple counts of second-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault stemming from the Jan. 23 collision. Prosecutors told the grand jury they would rely on vehicle data and charging papers that describe deliberate, reckless decisions rather than an unlucky skid or sudden loss of control.
Prosecutors Point to Disabled Safety System and Crash Data
Investigators say the car itself is one of their key witnesses. Court filings state that the vehicle’s crash-data recorder captured full throttle and no braking in the final seconds before impact. Prosecutors also allege that Labidi manually shut off the car’s electronic stability control in an effort to pull off a drifting maneuver, according to News 12 Long Island. They have further highlighted social-media posts they say show Labidi racing and courting online attention on public streets. Together, those digital breadcrumbs form the backbone of the state’s argument that the crash was the result of calculated risk-taking, not a brief lapse behind the wheel.
Arraignment, Bail and the Charges
Labidi was arraigned in late January, where he entered a not guilty plea. Prosecutors said he was first transported to a hospital after the wreck and later arrested, according to Patch. The court set bail at $500,000 cash or $1.25 million bond, along with additional release conditions. With the grand jury now handing up a true bill, the case moves firmly into the felony track, with pretrial motions and the possibility of a full trial looming.
Families Mourn and Call for Tougher Rules
Back in Levittown, the legal wrangling feels far away from the grief. Friends, classmates and first responders have gathered for vigils and services honoring the two young women. The Levittown Fire Department publicly saluted Parke’s work as a volunteer firefighter, according to ABC7. Relatives have urged lawmakers to crack down on street racing and certain vehicle modifications that, in their words, turn cars into “rocketships” on suburban roads. Community fundraisers and GoFundMe pages have been launched to support the families as they try to navigate their loss.
What the Charges Mean Under New York Law
Under New York’s Penal Law §125.15, manslaughter in the second degree is defined as recklessly causing the death of another person and is classified as a Class C felony, according to the statutory text published on Justia. Class C felonies in New York can carry prison terms of up to 15 years under state sentencing guidelines and related legal references. That potential exposure is part of why prosecutors characterize the charges as serious and why families are pressing for what they see as stronger deterrents.
The indictment filed Thursday formally shifts the matter into the felony prosecution pipeline and starts the clock on screening and pretrial hearings, CBS News reports. Defense attorneys have pointed to medical trauma and a concussion suffered by Labidi and have questioned his memory of the crash. Prosecutors counter that the onboard vehicle data and the larger pattern of social-media activity tell a more complete story. As the case grinds forward, local officials and grieving families say they plan to push for both a day of reckoning in court and broader policy changes aimed at slowing down street racing on Long Island roads.
