Man taking photo of ‘Florida Welcomes You’ sign causes car crash that kills his niece and nephews: Cops

A New York man is behind bars after he allegedly slowed his vehicle down in the middle of a highway to take photos of the “Florida Welcomes You” sign, resulting in the deaths of his niece and three nephews.

Marvin Redondo-Funes, 25, is facing four counts each of aggravated manslaughter of a child and driving with a license suspended or revoked causing great bodily injury, the Florida Highway Patrol said Wednesday. A criminal complaint said Redondo-Funes drove his girlfriend and the four children from New York to Florida for a vacation in July 2023. At around 4 a.m. on July 1, Redondo-Funes was driving down Interstate 95 near the Georgia-Florida border.

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As he and the group approached the “Florida Welcomes You” sign, Redondo-Funes allegedly slowed the car down to just 1 or 2 miles per hour in order to take a photo. The car behind them did not see him braking and plowed into the back of Redondo-Funes’ vehicle, according to FHP officials.

The speed limit on the highway is 70 mph, with a minimum speed of 40 mph.

The four kids riding with Redondo-Funes were reportedly sitting in the back seat, which was designed to only hold a trio. Three of the kids were also not wearing seatbelts, troopers say. Paramedics pronounced three of the children dead on scene while they rushed a fourth to the hospital. Doctors pronounced that child dead two days after the crash. The names of the youths are redacted from the report.