Limo Company Owner's Son Charged With Homicide

Nauman Hussain was arrested by State Police Wednesday
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 10, 2018 1:40 PM CDT
Limo Company Owner's Son Charged With Homicide
This shows the Crest Inn Suites & Cottages outside Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018. The location is also the business address for Prestige Limousine service involved in Saturday's fatal crash in Schoharie, N.Y., that killed 20 people owned by Shahed Hussain.   (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)

The son of a limo company owner has been arrested after the fatal crash in Schoharie, NY, involving one of the company's limousines, the New York Times reports. Nauman Hussain, said to manage the daily operations of Prestige Limousine, was taken into custody by State Police during a traffic stop in the Albany area Wednesday; he has been charged with criminally negligent homicide, the AP reports. "My client is not guilty. Police jumped the gun in bringing charges," the company's lawyer told reporters. The Saturday afternoon crash killed 20: the limo driver, all 17 passengers, and two pedestrians visiting a country store in the upstate New York town. Authorities have said the limo shouldn't have been on the road, having failed multiple inspections.

After a failed March 21 inspection, the vehicle was specifically cited for "brakes out of service," indicating 20% or more of its stopping power was compromised, NBC News reports. The records also noted constricted or obstructed brake lines. And after the most recent failed inspection on Sept. 4, the state put a sticker on the limo taking it out of service, USA Today reports. State Police say they also want to talk to Shahed Hussain, Nauman's father and the owner of Prestige, but his whereabouts are currently unknown; he may be in Pakistan. The 62-year-old is a former FBI informant who assisted in two cases in which attacks were thwarted in New York; the Times reports that he took on the informant role, posing as a recruiter of terrorists, in order to avoid deportation after being caught fraudulently obtaining driver's licenses. (More limousine stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X