New York mom drives minivan into Hudson River, drowning herself and 3 kids

[_Simpson_ 250]

Update at 9:14 a.m. ET: New Yor City's WPIX reports that police had responded to a 911 call about a domestic disturbance at the victim's nearby home only 10 minutes before the incident, but found the house empty.

Newburgh authorities plan to give a news conference about the tragedy at around 10 a.m. ET.

Earlier post: A mother and three of her children drowned late Tuesday after she drove her minivan with everyone inside into the Hudson River, but not before first letting out a fourth child who ran for help, the Times Herald Record reports.

Police say the incident is apparently related to a domestic dispute at a home near the river in Newburgh, N.Y., which is about 60 miles north of New York City.

Divers found the unidentified woman, her two boys, ages 5 and 2, and an 11-month-old girl inside the vehicle in 10 feet of water about 25 feet from the shore. The family lived in a house about six blocks from the scene.

The tragedy occurred in a quiet section of the waterfront near a floating restaurant that was still closed for the winter, the Hudson Valley newspaper says.

Police say the woman drove the vehicle off a boat ramp after letting her 10-year-old son out. The boy ran to a nearby fire station to alert firefighters, the Associated Press reports.

"It's a horrible sight, all of them in the car," said City of Newburgh police Chief Michael Ferrara.

Ferrara said the incident was apparently related to an incident earlier Tuesday when officers responded to a report of a domestic disturbance nearby only to find no one at home.

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Edited April 13, 2011 by _Simpson_

[Canadian in GA 34]

so sad why bring her poor babies along with her? so selfish!

[Fandango 1,439]

This makes my heart hurt

[Fandango 1,439]

I'm assuming, from the article, when it says she was involved in a domestic situation with the father of 3 of 4 of her kids....bet you the one she let out was the one that wasn't his.

So this is payback???

How could any mother kill her children?

[Peikko 1,575]

It is sad, but there really isn't any point in trying to rationalise the irrational. There are a number of things could drive someone to behave in this extreme way, but none of them involve a well adjusted happy mother deciding to go for a drive one day and rounding it off with a spot of suicide/fratricide. For a normal, well adjusted person this is of course totally incomprehensible, unthinkable and utterly shocking. Lucky for us that we don't ever feel so desperate, so depressed, so lacking in options that this appears to us to be the only course of action.

[Danno 1,228]

It is sad, but there really isn't any point in trying to rationalise the irrational. There are a number of things could drive someone to behave in this extreme way, but none of them involve a well adjusted happy mother deciding to go for a drive one day and rounding it off with a spot of suicide/fratricide. For a normal, well adjusted person this is of course totally incomprehensible, unthinkable and utterly shocking. Lucky for us that we don't ever feel so desperate, so depressed, so lacking in options that this appears to us to be the only course of action.

what she said

[Darnell 8,478]

*** not a Political Topic, moving to Off Topic forum ***

[_Simpson_ 250]

It is sad, but there really isn't any point in trying to rationalise the irrational. There are a number of things could drive someone to behave in this extreme way, but none of them involve a well adjusted happy mother deciding to go for a drive one day and rounding it off with a spot of suicide/fratricide. For a normal, well adjusted person this is of course totally incomprehensible, unthinkable and utterly shocking. Lucky for us that we don't ever feel so desperate, so depressed, so lacking in options that this appears to us to be the only course of action.

But you finished your paragraph by trying to rationalize it. Also that last sentence implies that this would be somewhat common with people who become that desperate. Its not, a lot of people have reached rock bottom and very few kill their children.

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

*** not a Political Topic, moving to Off Topic forum ***

You need to get a job, Darnell.

[Peikko 1,575]

But you finished your paragraph by trying to rationalize it. Also that last sentence implies that this would be somewhat common with people who become that desperate. Its not, a lot of people have reached rock bottom and very few kill their children.

That's not a rationalization, that's a list of contributory factors that could make someone react in an irrational way as a means of 'solving' their problems and how you think that implies it's a common practice among the desperate I have absolutely no idea.

[tweety 1]

Besides being saddened about this family tragedy I always feel sorry for the service ppl (in this case divers) who have to find and recover them. The sight will haunt them for a while.