Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
10-Year-Old Escaped Sinking Minivan, "My Mommy Just Drove The Car In The Water"
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 14, 2011
Modified Apr 14, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
right
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 14, 2011
Modified Apr 14, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The tragic drowning murder-suicide of a woman and her three children in the Hudson River grows as it turns out her 10-year-old son managed to open a window and climb out of the sinking minivan. But Lashanda Armstrong, 25, allegedly told little Lashaun and his young siblings, ages 11 months to 5 years old, "If I'm going to die, you're going to die with me." Lashaun Armstrong also told the authorities that she grabbed his pants leg, told him, "I made a mistake," and let him go.
Lashaun swam to the shore and was trying to stop drivers on a Newburgh road and, finally, Meave Ryan stopped for him. She told the NY Times, "He was screaming for help. He said, ‘My mommy just drove the car in the water.’" Ryan, who picked up Lance, drove over to the boat ramp to see if she could see the car, and then took Lashaun to the fire department.
Ms. Ryan said that La’Shaun had told her why his mother was so upset. “There was an argument about cheating, that his stepfather was cheating on his mother,” Ms. Ryan said. On the short ride from their apartment in Newburgh to the boat ramp, La’Shaun told Ms. Ryan, his mother had called an older relative and said, “I’m sorry, I’m going to do something crazy, you have to forgive me.”
Ms. Ryan said La’Shaun had told her that the call had ended with the older relative saying she was going to dial 911.
When the authorities found the minivan, Armstrong, 5-year-old Landen Pierre, 2-year-old Lance Pierre, and 11-month-old Lainaina Pierre were all dead.
Armstrong had a tumultuous relationship with the father of the deceased children, Jean Pierre, 26, and apparently the couple just had a vicious fight, which prompted calls to the police, just before Armstrong killed herself and children. The couple didn't live together, leaving Armstrong to raise her four children mostly on her own. The Times Herald-Record says, "Desiree Watson, owner and director of Young & Unique Christian Childcare in Newburgh, said all four of Armstrong's children had attended her program. Armstrong had recently told staff that Pierre was no longer allowed to pick up the children, which he rarely did anyway."
The Times spoke to a friend of Armstrong's, "'From the outside, it looked perfect,' said Sharon Ramirez, 22, a neighbor and friend of Ms. Armstrong. 'But there were a lot of things going on. They had a rocky relationship.' Ms. Ramirez was certain of that because, she said, she had carried on a three-month relationship with Mr. Pierre last year, when Ms. Armstrong was pregnant with Lainaina."
Tagged
drowning
hudson river
jean pierre
lashanda armstrong
lashaun armstrong
minivan
murder-suicide
newburgh
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .