Indian-Origin Woman Harleen Grewal Dies In Burning Car After Driver Flees

Harleen Grewal, a 25-year-old woman of Indian origin was left to die in a blazing car following a crash by her driver in the United States. The 23-year-old driver, Saeed Ahmad, crashed the vehicle into a concrete barrier on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway on Oct. 13. While the woman was engulfed in flames, the driver hailed a cab and went to the Maimondas Medical Center.

Ahmad was being treated for burns on his arms and legs, according to the New York Daily.

Firefighters found a badly burned body in the passenger seat early on Oct. 13 morning. She was declared dead on spot. The police found Ahmad at the hospital and charged him with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene of an accident, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, and speeding. According to the police, Ahmad was not legally drunk when his blood was tested at the hospital even though he admitted to having a few drinks before the crash.

Ahmad’s arraignment at the Brooklyn Criminal Court stated that he was driving in and out of traffic on the expressway before his car hit the barrier around 4 a.m. Waheed, Ahmad’s brother, however, claimed that his brother’s arms were burnt because he tried to get Harleen out of the car. He added: “He couldn’t [save her].. It was too late for her.”

Grewal, a resident of Astoria, Queens, worked for a catering company. According to her family, it was normal for her to work late hours. She usually took the train home, or had her family pick her up, or her colleagues drop her off.

Karan Singh Dhillon, Grewal’s grieving boyfriend, said to New York Daily that she was someone who would do anything for people.