Marvin Redondo-Funes, a 25-year-old New York resident, is currently detained following a highway incident that resulted in the tragic loss of his niece and three nephews. The Florida Highway Patrol has charged Redondo-Funes with aggravated manslaughter of a child and driving with a suspended or revoked license, causing severe bodily harm.
The criminal complaint details that Redondo-Funes was transporting his girlfriend and the four children from New York to Florida for a vacation in July 2023. The fatal incident transpired in the early morning hours of July 1, while Redondo-Funes was navigating Interstate 95 near the Georgia-Florida border.
As the group approached the “Florida Welcomes You” sign, Redondo-Funes allegedly slowed his vehicle to a crawl, 1 or 2 miles per hour, to snap a photo. According to Florida Highway Patrol officials, the abrupt reduction in speed was not detected by the trailing vehicle, which subsequently crashed into the rear of Redondo-Funes’ car. The highway’s speed limit is 70 mph, with a minimum speed of 40 mph.
The four children were seated in the vehicle’s back seat, which was designed to accommodate only three passengers. It was reported that three of the children were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident. Emergency medical personnel declared three of the children dead at the scene, while the fourth child was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead two days later. The identities of the children have been withheld from the report.
Redondo-Funes reportedly confessed to operating the vehicle, despite his license being suspended by court order. Neither he nor his girlfriend sustained serious injuries in the crash, and the driver of the other vehicle was also unharmed.
A GoFundMe page revealed that the children were aged 10, 12, and two were 14 years old. They were en route to Miami. Redondo-Funes was arrested in New York and extradited to Florida on November 2. He is currently held in the Nassau County Jail on a $270,016 bond.
In a statement following the incident, the Florida Highway Patrol emphasized, “A picture is never worth a human life.”