A Connecticut woman is facing vehicular manslaughter charges after allegedly driving a Tesla at nearly three times the legal blood-alcohol limit and crashing into scaffolding in Midtown Manhattan, killing her passenger and best friend.
Alejandra Paharsingh, 27, has no memory of the events that led to the death of Elise Suomi, a mother of a 3-year-old girl, according to Manhattan prosecutors.
Paharsingh admitted to consuming multiple alcoholic beverages on the evening of September 8, 2026, and stated she did not remember driving on 42nd Street, NYPD officer Thomas Dillon said in a criminal complaint. The complaint states Paharsingh was driving the 2024 Tesla onto the sidewalk around 2:45 a.m. Wednesday, striking a mailbox before colliding with scaffolding. Suomi was in the passenger seat.
The vehicle continued several more blocks before stopping at the intersection of 42nd Street and Second Avenue, where police arrived. Suomi was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly after 3 a.m. Paharsingh, who sustained minor injuries, had a blood-alcohol level of .229, which is nearly three times the legal limit of .08 in New York.
Paharsingh was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on Wednesday night. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office requested bail be set at $250,000 cash or a $750,000 bond, but Judge Jeffrey Gershuny set it at $50,000. She was being held at Rikers Island and was scheduled to return to court on Monday.
Friends and relatives created a memorial for Suomi outside her Harlem apartment building, featuring candles, photographs, and drawings. A neighbor described Suomi as a kind person who was always willing to help others. He said he occasionally saw Suomi and Paharsingh together.
Paharsingh faces charges including vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident.