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Operator of Limo Service Is Convicted in 2018 Accident That Killed 20

The operator, Nauman Hussain, could face up to 15 years in prison for the tragic crash in Schoharie, N.Y.

By Jesse McKinley

SCHOHARIE, N.Y. — It was a staggering and seemingly incomprehensible tragedy: a Saturday afternoon limo ride gone terribly wrong, leaving 20 people dead, including a large group of young friends and relatives headed to a birthday party.

On Wednesday, the operator of the company that rented out that vehicle — a 31-foot-long, five-ton 2001 Ford Excursion stretch limousine — was found guilty on 20 counts of second-degree manslaughter in the October 2018 accident.

The operator, Nauman Hussain, could face up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced on May 31.

The verdict, announced to an emotionally charged courtroom and after less than a day of deliberation by a jury in Schoharie County, west of Albany, caps a nearly five-year ordeal for the families of the victims, which included all 17 passengers, the driver and two pedestrians outside a cafe and store in Schoharie, N.Y.

A 2020 report by the National Transportation Safety Board found that the limousine’s brake system failed on Route 30 outside Schoharie, causing the vehicle to career down a long hill to the valley below, eventually reaching more than 100 m.p.h., flying toward an intersection with another busy rural byway.

The driver, Scott Lisinicchia, managed to avoid a car but shot through the intersection, striking an S.U.V., which then struck and killed two pedestrians near the Apple Barrel Cafe, a popular local establishment. The limo then charged into a shallow ravine near the cafe, eventually coming to a stop on an embankment.

The crash was the nation’s deadliest transportation accident in nearly a decade, and the investigation soon took on a curious twist when it was revealed that the owner of the limousine business — Shahed Hussain — was a longtime F.B.I. informant.

At the time of the accident, Mr. Hussain, then 62, who operated the Prestige Limousine and Chauffeur Service with his son out of a low-rent motel in Saratoga County, was in Pakistan dealing with health issues; he has not since returned to the United States.

But Mr. Hussain’s son, Nauman, was soon arrested , with authorities noting a long history of safety violations for the vehicle involved in the accident, and the fact that Mr. Lisinicchia, the driver who died in the crash, was not licensed to operate such a massive limousine.

The Schoharie County district attorney, Susan J. Mallery, had repeatedly sought to tie Nauman Hussain, 33, to shoddy and dishonest oversight of his vehicles during the trial’s six days of testimony. That argument was echoed during a lengthy, often languorous, closing statement on Tuesday by Frederick Rench, who served as a special prosecutor in the trial.

“Mr. Hussain caused the deaths of the victims,” Mr. Rench said, outlining a variety of lies that the defendant had posted online about the condition of the limousine and citing Mr. Hussain’s “duty” to make sure the vehicle was roadworthy. “There is no doubt as to what his duty was.”

Even before the tragedy, the occupants of the ragged limousine — including four daughters from one family — had worried something was wrong. They sent texts — some joking, others more serious — saying that the vehicle’s motor was deafening, and that they smelled burning brakes.

Initially, the younger Mr. Hussain had reached an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty to charges that would have spared him prison time , with five years’ probation and 1,000 hours of community service.

But that deal, decried by victims’ families , was invalidated last year by State Supreme Court Justice Peter Lynch, who called it “completely disingenuous and unacceptable.” Justice Lynch also oversaw the Schoharie trial.

Lee Kindlon, Mr. Hussain’s lawyer, called no witnesses. In a closing statement on Tuesday, he had argued that while his client was a bad businessman who had racked up a series of vehicle violations, he was not to blame for the accident, noting that Mr. Hussain had repeatedly sought to have the brakes on the ill-fated limousine fixed.

Indeed, during testimony last week, it was revealed that Mr. Hussain was misled by a manager at a Mavis auto shop who told him that the repair work on the brakes had been done, and that another employee had placed a Department of Motor Vehicles inspection sticker on the limousine — without doing the inspection .

“There’s a large gulf between violation of some regulations and people dying,” Mr. Kindlon said.

On Wednesday, Mr. Kindlon said he planned to appeal, even as the Saratoga County district attorney, Karen Heggen, indicated she may investigate the Mavis employees. Mr. Kindlon said he had briefly spoken with the elder Mr. Hussain, and said he had sobbed at the verdict.

Family members of the victims — many of whom were in their 20s and 30s — had filled the courtroom during the trial, weeping as the victims’ names were read, and applauding as the jury departed after announcing its verdict.

Mary Ashton, whose son Michael Ukaj was killed on his 34th birthday, said she felt relieved but also wanted others involved in the accident, including the Mavis employees, held responsible.

“I’m happy for my son,” she said. “He’s finally gotten justice. And that is exactly what I’ve been fighting for four and a half years.”

Jesse McKinley is a Metro correspondent for The Times, with an emphasis on coverage of upstate New York. He previously served as bureau chief in Albany and San Francisco, as well as stints as a feature writer, theater columnist and Broadway reporter for the Culture desk. More about Jesse McKinley

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Accident Location

​​Postcrash passenger side view of limousine (not in the crash final rest position).

Stretch Limousine Run-Off-Road Crash Near Schoharie, New York

What happened.

​​On Saturday, October 6, 2018, about 1:55 p.m. (local time), a 2001 Ford Excursion XLT stretch limousine, operated by Prestige Limousine and Chauffeur Service, was traveling from Amsterdam, New York, to Cooperstown, New York, occupied by a 53-year-old driver and 17 passengers on a charter trip. The trip route was through a rural environment, consisting of rolling terrain with frequent changes in vertical grade and numerous curves. After making a right turn from New York State Route 7 (NY-7) onto New York State Route 30 (NY-30) near Schoharie, Schoharie County, New York, the limousine began a 1.81-mile descent to a stop sign-controlled T-intersection with New York State Route 30A (NY-30A). The posted speed limit on this section of NY-30 was 55 mph.

Shortly after the limousine made the right turn onto NY-30, witnesses reported seeing it move toward the right shoulder with its hazard lights activated. Subsequently, the limousine returned to the travel lane, continued south on NY-30, and began to accelerate down the descent to the T-intersection with NY-30A. The limousine did not stop at the intersection. 

​As the limousine neared the bottom of the grade, it approached the rear of a 2016 Jeep Patriot sport utility vehicle (SUV) in the same lane, which was stopped at the stop sign for NY-30 at the T-intersection with NY-30A. The two SUV occupants reported hearing the limousine—which they said sounded like a “jet engine”—and seeing it approach the SUV from behind at a high rate of speed. The limousine driver steered left to avoid the SUV, proceeded past the stop sign and through the intersection without slowing, and crossed the east- and westbound travel lanes of NY-30A (traffic on NY-30A did not have a stop sign for the intersection). The limousine entered the driveway of the parking lot of the Apple Barrel Country Store restaurant and struck an unoccupied 2015 Toyota Highlander SUV parked in a grassy field adjacent to the driveway. The limousine was traveling an estimated 101–118 mph when it collided with the Toyota SUV. The SUV was propelled in a southerly direction and struck two pedestrians who were standing near the SUV. The speed of the limousine was reduced to about 80 mph as it continued about 55 feet south, entered a ravine, and then struck an earthen embankment and several trees. At final rest, the limousine was in a streambed at the bottom of the ravine facing west with the driver’s side against the backslope of the ravine. The SUV came to rest facing south on the opposite side of the ravine.

What We Found

​The probable cause of the Schoharie, New York, crash was Prestige Limousine and Chauffeur Service’s egregious disregard for safety, in dispatching a stretch limousine with an out-of-service order for a passenger charter trip, resulting in the failure of its brake system while descending the steep grade of New York State Route 30. Contributing to the crash was the New York State Department of Transportation’s ineffective oversight of Prestige Limousine, despite its knowledge of the carrier’s multiple out-of-service violations and lack of operating authority, as well as the department’s inadequate repair verification process. Further contributing to the crash was the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles’ inadequate oversight of state-licensed inspection stations and its failure to properly register the limousine, which enabled Prestige Limousine to circumvent the state’s safety regulations and more rigorous inspection requirements.​

What We Recommended

​We made recommendations to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the State of New York, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and the National Limousine Association.

Lessons Learned

Ntsb board meeting: stretch limousine run-off-road crash near schoharie, new york, media briefing following schoharie limousine crash board meeting, ntsb second media briefing on the schoharie, ny limousine crash.