Man indicted for Thanksgiving crash that killed two children

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) – A man is in jail, charged in connection to the crash that killed two children the day before Thanksgiving.

There are teddy bears, candles and flowers attached to a light pole at the corner of Lyell and Mt. Read Avenues. They have been here for seven months. RPD says their investigation shows the driver of the car that caused the crash, 29-year-old Christopher Antonetti, was going more than 90 miles an hour at some point before the crash.

On November 24, 2021, the corner of Lyell Avenue and Mt. Read Boulevard was strewn with debris including a child car seat. Security video from that day shows the car the children were in, turning left onto Lyell. We stopped the video a frame before the impact.

11-year-old Jadden Desue died on the street. 4-year-old Ja’vion Green-Rucker died just moments after he arrived at Strong Hospital. 8-year-old Anthony Green-Rucker survived. The photo of the three brothers was shared by Ja’vion and Anthony’s aunt. Her brother is their father.

"It’s still sad to this day because those are babies. They didn’t even get to enjoy their life,” Jalissa Rucker says that RPD said the car that caused the crash was driven by Antonetti.

Last week, Antonetti was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of manslaughter and one count of assault. RPD says it investigated Antonetti’s actions before the crash and tracked him "traveling in excess of 90 mph.“

"And you’re driving 90 miles on that (road)?” Rucker asked. “That’s like a 30, 35 miles per hour, and it’s a school zone. So what were you doing?”

Rucker’s brother, the father of Anthony and Ja’vion, was in prison at the time of the crash.

State records show he won’t be released for at least another year and a half. "I know he still hurts, he still has his moments. I still talk to him on the phone sometimes and he still cries still. So it’s not easy. It’s not easy at all,” Rucker said.

As of Wednesday at 6 p.m., Antonetti was still listed on the Monroe County Jail roster. There’s no bail on his profile but RPD says it’s $20,000.