A frenzied Staten Island driver found out his pregnant 23-year-old fiancée died in a car accident just before he was tried for manslaughter.
Adem Nikeziq, 30, collapsed in court on Monday after being told shortly before that his fiancee Adriana Sylmetaj and their unborn child were dead after crashing a Dodge Challenger at about 100mph early Sunday morning .
Nikeziq appeared in court crying while wearing a hospital gown and in a wheelchair, photos revealed by the New York Post.
“Nobody told him his fiancé and baby had died,” attorney Mark Fonte told the news outlet. “When I told him he broke down crying and sobbing. He was completely incredulous at first.”
Nikeziq was charged with manslaughter, drunk driving, involuntary manslaughter and assault.
Adriana Sylmetaj and her unborn baby were killed at 4.45am Sunday morning after her fiancé crashed into a post. Adem Nikeziq, 30, cried in court after learning his fiancé died in an accident
Nikeziq was allegedly drunk when he crashed his car at more than 100 mph
Prosecutors explained in court how Sylmetaj’s body was found at the scene when police arrived.
“She was found at the intersection,” said Nicholas Agostino, assistant district attorney. “Her severed leg was found 20 feet behind her body. Her unborn child, ripped from her body, was found 20 feet behind her leg.
Nikeziq claimed a car cut him off when he plowed into a utility pole around 5am on Sunday morning, causing the vehicle to break into three pieces.
Agostino claimed that Nikesiq was drinking when the accident happened and that he was driving at high speed.
He is being held on $400,000 bail and is expected to appear in court Thursday.
Sylmetaj and Nikesiq were expecting a daughter in April.
Adriana Sylmetaj’s brother said how excited his sister is to become a mother.
“She was excited when she found out she was going to be a mother. It was something new for her. She couldn’t wait to see the baby born,” her brother Al Sylmetaj told the New York Daily News.
“They thought about names, but I don’t think they came to a decision,” he added. “They were planning a baby shower.”
Pictures of the mangled car emerged after the pregnant woman was killed. Prosecutors explained in court how Sylmetaj’s body was found at the scene when police arrived. The baby had been ripped out of her
Adriana Sylmetaj was thrown from the car when it collided with a power pole around 5am Sunday morning, breaking the vehicle into three pieces
The brother of Adriana Sylmetaj, 23, who died with their unborn daughter in a high-speed car crash in Staten Island, has spoken of his sister’s excitement over her pregnancy
Nikeziq has a checkered driving history, including an arrest in 2017 for drunk driving and driving with a suspended license, police sources told the Daily News. He was also arrested in 2019 for driving with a suspended license and resisting arrest.
Sylmetaj’s brother said Nikeziq was untrustworthy and often drunk after his father passed away.
“I had a feeling the result would be like this,” Al said. “Every time he presented himself, he was under the influence – not that he was uncontrollable, but how he articulated himself.”
“He used to ask me if I wanted to go out for a drink,” he said. “My birthday just passed and he invited me to have a drink but I just said no thanks.”
Sylmetaj and Nikesiq, who was often drunk, her brother says, were expecting a daughter in April
The Albanian couple were heading south on Hylan Boulevard in New Dorp at 4:44 a.m. when Nikesiq lost control. The vehicle struck a crash barrier before spinning and crashing into a wooden utility pole, police said.
It was reported that the severity of the impact resulted in Sylmetaj being thrown from the car and pronounced dead at the scene.
Nikeziq, a county resident, was taken to Staten Island University’s North Hospital after police realized he was intoxicated, the spokesman said.
In an online tribute to Sylmetaj, Nikeziq was described as “a disgrace to the Albanian community”.
“He’s going to walk away for the rest of his life and that’s still not good enough for this piece of shit,” a grieving relative of Sylmetaj told the Post Sunday outside her home.
“They couldn’t save the baby,” he said. “We’ll never be fine. None of us. We have witnessed a terrible tragedy.’
“I don’t understand how that [utility] The pole is still standing,” Mario Basso, 31, owner of H20 Auto Spa near the crash site, told The Post. “It was hit so hard.”
The severity of the impact resulted in Sylmetaj being thrown from the car. She was pronounced dead at the scene
The scene following the fatal accident, The Collationed, happened while the pair were traveling at more than 100 miles per hour
A tire is subsequently removed from the vehicle