The New Jersey teen driver who drove 118 mph, flipped a rented Mercedes-Benz and killed his 17-year-old friend on the weekend of their prom was sentenced to three years in a youth detention facility.
Anthony Burke, who was 17 at the time of the crash, pleaded guilty to death by auto and violating a public safety law resulting in serious bodily injury and was sentenced in juvenile court on Thursday, Sussex County, NJ.com reports.
On May 11, Burke was speeding through the rural Fredon Township with three other friends on their way home from the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange when the car veered off of Greendale Road and flipped over in the woods around 5:30 p.m.
Alexis “Lexi” Faye, 17, was killed in the crash — just hours after celebrating their Newton High School prom.
The high school junior was pronounced dead at the scene in rural Fredon Township after the sedan veered off the road and overturned, authorities said.
The driver, Anthony Burke, 17, and two other passengers, 16-year-old Maria Fiore and 17-year-old Nicholas Chavarria, were seriously injured in the crash, but survived.
The teen had rented the Mercedes for the prom but had it for an extra day and used it to go to the zoo with his friends, NJ.com said.
Burke was originally charged with aggravated manslaughter, among other crimes, but was given a plea opportunity from Sussex County prosecutors, the outlet reported.


Faye’s family sent a statement to the press through the prosecutor’s office, warning her death should be a cautionary tale for future teen drivers.
“Although the sentence does not bring Lexi back, the judge sent a clear message that driving a 118 mph on a 40 mph road has severe consequences,” the family said.
“Our hope is that this resonates with teen drivers, so that no other family has to deal with such a horrific tragedy.”