On Oct. 6, 2018, a limousine carrying 17 passengers — some newlyweds, some veterans, some nurses, all friends — crashed into the Apple Barrel Restaurant just north of Schoharie.
All 17 passengers were killed, as was the driver and two pedestrians.
It remains the deadliest limousine crash in U.S. history.
On Thursday, almost three years later, the operator of the limousine company that rented out the vehicle, Nauman Hussain, pleaded guilty to 20 counts of negligent homicide — one for each person killed in the crash. He will pay out restitution, do community service and be placed on probation, but he will not serve jail time.
U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, a Democrat from Amsterdam, where several of the victims were from, said the plea deal “isn’t justice” for the families who are still mourning loved ones.
Tonko is sponsoring a package of bipartisan bills in Congress that bolster limousine safety.
He spoke with Capital Tonight host Susan Arbetter on Thursday.