Edited by: Fern Sidman

Miriam Yarimi, the Brooklyn wigmaker accused of killing a mother and her two young daughters in a devastating high-speed crash, was arraigned Thursday from her hospital bed—just five days after the Ocean Parkway tragedy that has rocked New York City. Appearing remotely via webcam from NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn, Yarimi, 32, was formally charged with manslaughter and ordered held without bail as shocking new details emerged about her deranged behavior in the aftermath of the crash.

According to a report on Thursday in The New York Post, Yarimi was wearing a yellow hospital gown with her hair neatly trimmed when she appeared virtually before a judge. Yet behind the seemingly composed exterior lay a storm of disturbing statements that painted a picture of someone mentally unwell—or wildly unstable.

In the hours after the crash, Yarimi allegedly delivered a stream of bizarre and incoherent remarks to police officers at the hospital. “The devil’s in my eyes,” she reportedly told them, as was reported in The New York Post. “I’m haunted inside.” Prosecutors told the court she rambled on about needing CT scans for her eyes and insisted that “the devil” had taken hold of her vision.

“Where’s my phone? My phone was left in the car. My phone is still on scene,” she said, according to the complaint. “I need CT scans in my eyes. I need to get scanning done now.”

Her repeated fixation on being “haunted” and having “the devil” in her eyes reportedly left police and hospital staff stunned, as recounted in The New York Post report.

Yarimi also screamed to be released from her handcuffs, exclaiming, “I am a wigmaker. Where’s my daughter? My daughter is always in my heart. My daughter is in New Jersey right now,” before making a desperate plea to use a regular bathroom instead of a bedpan. “Why can’t I go to a regular bathroom? I don’t want to use a pan. Uncuff me.”

She later invoked her right to legal counsel and refused to answer additional questions.

The fatal crash occurred Saturday afternoon on Brooklyn’s Ocean Parkway, a stretch of road known for speeding and previous fatal accidents. As The New York Post reported, Yarimi was allegedly driving her 2023 Audi A3 at up to 50 mph in a 25-mph zone when she ran a red light and T-boned a 2023 Toyota Camry that was operating as an Uber. The impact flipped Yarimi’s Audi, which then barreled into the Saada family who were crossing the street.

The victims included Natasha Saada, 32, and her daughters Diana, 8, and Debra, 5, who were all killed at the scene. The youngest child, Philip, age 4, miraculously survived but suffered grievous injuries, including the loss of a kidney. He remains in critical condition at Maimonides Medical Center, fighting for his life.

The collision also left multiple others injured, including the 63-year-old Uber driver and another mother with three children who were passengers in the Camry.

Yarimi reportedly told first responders immediately after the crash, “I had the devil in me,” further compounding the horror of the scene with her incoherent and haunting words.

In addition to her erratic post-crash behavior, The New York Post uncovered a troubling picture of Yarimi’s lifestyle. Former acquaintances described her as obsessed with fast cars and “a need for speed.” One source said she boasted openly about her passion for speed, raising questions about whether her reckless driving was not just an accident but part of a dangerous pattern.

Her social media posts, now under scrutiny, reportedly showcase flashy vehicles and hints at a thrill-seeking persona—an alarming contrast to the destruction she has now caused.

Prosecutors did not mince words during Thursday’s arraignment, presenting Yarimi as a public danger and flight risk. The judge agreed, ordering her held without bail while the investigation continues. Given the gravity of the charges—including multiple counts of manslaughter—Yarimi could face decades behind bars if convicted.

As The New York Post report emphasized, the arraignment was notable not only for the horrifying facts of the case, but also for the surreal nature of Yarimi’s appearance and her cryptic, disturbing comments. Her mental state will likely play a significant role as the legal process unfolds.

Yarimi, 32, who is facing multiple felony charges including manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide following a high-speed crash on Ocean Parkway, has long exhibited erratic and conspiratorial behavior online, as detailed in The New York Post report. On both her Instagram and TikTok accounts, Yarimi posted bizarre theories, including one especially eyebrow-raising claim: that Marilyn Monroe was assassinated by the CIA after allegedly leaking classified information to Fidel Castro.

But the paranoia extended far beyond Hollywood lore. Just last month, Yarimi claimed she discovered a hidden camera installed in the bathroom of her Midwood apartment. The unsettling post raised concerns about her mental state long before the fatal collision.

Beyond social media, Yarimi has been engaged in legal warfare with the New York Police Department for years. According to the information provided in The New York Post report, she secured a $2 million settlement in December after filing a lawsuit alleging she was repeatedly raped by a former NYPD officer, beginning when she was just 14 years old. The settlement, while not an admission of guilt by the city, represented a significant legal victory for Yarimi—though she remained enmeshed in further legal turmoil shortly after.

In January, she filed a notice of claim—a legal precursor to a lawsuit—demanding $5 million in damages after she alleged NYPD officers manhandled her during a wellness check in October 2023. The report in The New York Post indicated that the officers were reportedly responding to concerns about her mental health and forcibly transported her to a psychiatric hospital, where she was held for two weeks. Yarimi posted video of the entire encounter on Instagram, adding fuel to her claims of mistreatment and feeding the narrative she has built online of being persecuted by authorities.

 Yarimi remained largely silent during her Thursday court appearance, only responding to procedural questions from Judge Jevet Johnson, The New York Post reported. She was arraigned via webcam from her hospital bed at NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn, where she’s been held since the crash.

The charges against her are extensive and severe, reflecting the scale and horror of the incident. They include manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, reckless endangerment and second-degree assault

The full picture now emerging from the information in The New York Post’s report reveals a tangled web of trauma, mental illness, and escalating instability that culminated in a horrific act of vehicular violence. Yarimi’s apparent fascination with speed—highlighted by social media posts and former acquaintances—combined with her history of erratic behavior and legal battles against the police, now raises serious questions about whether systemic intervention might have prevented the deaths of three innocent lives.

For a grieving city, the case is now more than just a tragedy—it is a grim reflection of gaps in mental health response, road safety enforcement, and early warning systems.