Funeral for Ethan Falkowitz: Family, friends mourn Roslyn teen killed in Jericho DWI crash with teammate

Hundreds of mourners who gathered at Temple Sinai in Roslyn on Friday heard stories of the many accomplishments Ethan Falkowitz packed into 14 years of a life cut short by an alleged drunken driver on a busy stretch of highway in Jericho Wednesday night.

Ethan was more than a crash victim or a middle school student or a ranked tennis player, those closest to him said. He was studious and kind, musical and mischievous; the kind of kid who would play a prank on his aunt one moment and lift his cousin up with love in the next.

“He was the epitome of perfection,” recalled dad Gary Falkowitz, who said his eldest son learned more about love, compassion, hard work and loyalty in his short life than most people do in 100 years.

“Ethan was killed by a drunk driver, but we refuse to let his legacy be a statistic,” his father said. Ethan’s parents asked the mourners, whose vehicles filled the parking lot of the temple and spilled into the surrounding streets, to continue to share stories of their son. Many more people watched online.

Ethan was killed along with fellow 14-year-old Roslyn tennis player Drew Hassenbein when an older teammate’s 2019 Alfa Romeo was struck by the Dodge Ram pickup truck of wrong-way driver Amandeep Singh, 34, of Roslyn, in the northbound lanes of North Broadway in Jericho, according to police.

A service for Drew is scheduled for Sunday at Temple Beth Sholom in Roslyn at 11 a.m.

In eulogies from Ethan’s two siblings, grandparents, uncles, a cousin and friends, he was remembered as a boy who could play Billy Joel on the piano to entertain his family and solve a Rubik’s Cube in under 30 seconds to bewilder them, they said through tears and occasional laughter.

"I miss you so much my handsome, sweet boy," said mom Lynne. “I will never understand why God had to take him so soon ... I just want him to come back.”

Landon Falkowitz, Ethan’s 11-year-old brother, spoke of the joy he felt playing tennis with his brother at camp and how in their final moments together he wished his brother “good luck” before his varsity team’s match with rival Syosset Wednesday.

Gary described his eldest son’s last day as “one of his happiest,” having used his skills on the tennis court to contribute to an important victory for his team in what can sometimes be a “lonely sport.”

“He celebrated with his team,” Gary said of his son’s final hours. “They were hanging out at a restaurant, like a winning team should. What an amazing day for him.”

Landon, and 8-year-old sister Reese, spoke of the kind and generous way their big brother responded to the tense exchanges that are typical between siblings. When Reese told Ethan not to touch her things, he didn’t, she said. And when he did take things from Landon, he “gave it back right away.”

“I love you to the moon and back,” the younger brother said.

Rabbi Michael White, who presided over Friday’s funeral service, called Ethan’s death “senseless.”

“A group of amazing kids were celebrating their match responsibly and then [came] a drunk driver,” White said, labeling it an “injustice.”

The two other teens in Wednesday’s crash, who were identified by police only as the 17-year-old driver and a 16-year-old passenger, were hospitalized in stable condition with internal injuries. Authorities did not have information on their conditions or recovery status Friday.

Singh had a blood alcohol content of 0.18, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08, according to charging documents. At his arraignment Thursday in First District Court in Hempstead, Singh was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, first-degree vehicular manslaughter, two counts each of second-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault, leaving the scene of an auto accident with a fatality, and driving while intoxicated.

Gary Falkowitz said Ethan was recently moved by another tragedy in their community. His response was to make certain he told his family members he loved them more often. Lynne said Ethan always went out of his way to make others "feel good and feel loved."

“If we ever talked about someone else's questionable actions, he would immediately defend them and give them the benefit of the doubt,” Gary said. “It was in his soul to believe in the good of other people. He couldn't accept that there could be bad or harmful people in this world.”

With Robert Brodsky and Cecilia Dowd

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.