Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Brooklyn

Driver Pleads to Manslaughter for Killing 12-Year-Old on Brooklyn Sidewalk

Update: Robert DeCarlo was sentenced to five to 15 years in prison.

A man who drove a stolen minivan into a woman and her two children on a Brooklyn sidewalk, killing a 12-year-old girl and leaving the other victims with life-altering injuries, has pled guilty to manslaughter.

Joie Sellers
Joie Sellers
Joie Sellers

Robert DeCarlo hit Joie Sellers, her 9-year-old sister Charlie, and their mother Marcia Landais, 38, as the victims walked on Flatlands Avenue near E. 46th Street on July 2, 2014.

The Daily News reported that DeCarlo knocked down a fence and hit a fire hydrant before coming to a stop. “He was going 120 miles an hour," one witness told the News. "He lost control. It was crazy."

"One of the babies was under the car," the witness said. "We pushed the car up. I take the baby out."

Joie died at Kings County Hospital. The Post reported that Charlie was rendered blind and paralyzed by the crash, and that Landais sustained a fractured pelvis.

DeCarlo, who reportedly had a criminal background, ran from the scene on foot, and later turned himself in to police. District Attorney Ken Thompson filed over a dozen charges against him, including manslaughter, assault, leaving the scene, driving without a license, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, and speeding.

Last Friday, DeCarlo pled guilty to manslaughter, a class C felony, and four counts of assault, a class D felony, according to court records. He is scheduled to be sentenced later this month.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Hit-And-Run Rogue Driver Caught After Seriously Injuring Cycling Senior in Heart of the City

A reckless driver struck a cyclist on Second Avenue then fled. He was later caught, but the victim suffered life-changing injuries.

July 30, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines: Bedford Avenue Alert Edition

Come one come all to witness Eric Adams’s perfidy firsthand. Plus other news.

July 30, 2025

Trump’s ‘Beautiful’ Bill Kills Lovely QueensWay Park (Plus Many Efforts to Erase ‘Racist’ Highways)

Here's another reason for Mayor Adams to have buyer's remorse over his bromance with President Trump.

July 29, 2025
See all posts