Ethan Solop, survivor of Jericho wrong-way DWI crash that killed 2 teen stars, files lawsuits, court documents show

A survivor of the wrong-way drunken driving crash that killed two Roslyn High School tennis stars in 2023 filed two lawsuits this week against Amandeep Singh, the man convicted of the deaths, and the restaurants that are alleged to have overserved him.

Ethan Solop, who Newsday ranked among the top 30 Long Island high school tennis stars last month, argues in papers in state Supreme Court in Nassau County that three Plainview restaurants — The Shed, Social Play Haus and Iavarone Italian Kitchen + Pizzeria — were negligent and violated state liquor laws by continuing to serve Singh despite visible signs that he was intoxicated.

Solop, 18, accused the restaurants of "willful, wanton, malicious and reckless actions" and with "disregard and gross indifference for human life."

Iavarone and Social Play Haus declined to comment. The Shed did not respond to a request for comment.

He also filed suit against Prabhleen Virk, a friend of Singh’s, whose Muttontown home was Singh's last stop before the convicted drunken driver drove the wrong way on North Broadway in Jericho in his father’s 7,000-pound red Dodge TRX pickup truck on May 3, 2023, and smashed into an Alfa Romeo with four Roslyn High School tennis players.

Virk did not respond to a request for comment on the litigation.

The boys, who prosecutors said had not been drinking, were returning from a celebratory dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings after beating their rivals at Syosset High School.

Ethan Falkowitz and Drew Hassenbein, both 14-year-olds who played varsity tennis despite still being in middle school, were killed in the crash.

The families of both boys filed lawsuits last month, making similar charges against the restaurants and Singh's friend.

The boys' families and Solop also filed suit against Singh’s father, Jagdish Singh, for allowing his son, who had a previous drunken driving arrest, to borrow the truck.

"Jagdish Singh knew or should have known that defendant Amandeep Singh was incompetent, reckless, inexperienced, intoxicated and unable to safely operate the defendant's aforesaid motor vehicle," according to one of the suits.

Singh's father could not be reached for comment.

The crash drew widespread news coverage. Prosecutors charged that after a night of drinking at the three Plainview restaurants, Singh went to Virk’s house, where he continued to drink and do cocaine. Just after 10 p.m., he got behind the wheel of his father’s truck and sped the wrong way on North Broadway in Jericho at speeds topping 90 mph, according to court records. After he smashed into the teens and another car, he crawled out of the flipped-over pickup and fled to the loading bay behind a nearby mall, where he hid behind a dumpster until police found him, prosecutors said.

Though police body-worn camera footage shows him slurring his speech and his blood-alcohol level was more than double the legal limit to drive, he fought the charges for more than a year, rejecting a plea offer until his lawyers exhausted efforts to suppress the evidence.

"It took a long time before Mr. Singh took responsibility," said Michael Villeck, the attorney for Solop. "There are other parties too that need to take responsibility. Overserving people who are intoxicated can be dangerous and even, in this case, deadly. There are laws that prohibit overserving intoxicated people, and they need to be enforced."

The Hassenbein and Falkowitz families had a two-year window to file their wrongful-death lawsuits, but Solop could have waited another year before filing.

"We didn’t see any reason in delaying this case," Villeck said. "The families are committed to coming to a resolution quickly."

Solop suffered a serious leg injury in the 2023 crash, but he was able to recover and could play for Villanova University’s Division I team next year, according to a social media post by him.

The lawyer said that aside from the serious physical injuries, his client has suffered some long-term psychological trauma.

"This changed his life forever, and the emotional scars are irreversible," Villeck said.

He said his client supports the Hassenbein and Falkowitz families and wants their cases to proceed first.