A luxury home designer from New York is facing serious charges after crashing his Porsche into a car carrying a family of three. The incident happened in East Hampton on the afternoon of December 25, when 46-year-old Edward Yedid, cofounder of the high-end interior design firm Grade New York, allegedly swerved into oncoming traffic.
The crash occurred around 2:30 p.m., according to a police report. Yedid was driving a silver Porsche when he veered into the lane of a black BMW. Inside the BMW were a 30-year-old woman, Arianna Thomas, her partner, and her father, who was behind the wheel. Despite the BMW driver’s attempt to avoid the collision, the two cars crashed.
Thankfully, everyone involved only suffered minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. However, things didn’t end there for Yedid. According to police, he smelled strongly of alcohol, had bloodshot eyes, and was unsteady on his feet. Officers conducted field sobriety tests, which they say he did poorly on, and he also provided a breath sample.
Arianna Thomas shared her side of the story with the media. She said they were on their way to see a movie when the crash happened. After the collision, Yedid approached them to check if they were okay, but Thomas said she could immediately smell alcohol on him and noticed his eyes were red and bloodshot. He reportedly told her, “Sorry, my car just drives really fast,” as a way of apologizing. When police asked him how much he had been drinking, he allegedly responded with, “Just today?”
Yedid was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, failing to stay in his lane, speeding, and driving an uninspected vehicle. He has since been released from custody but is scheduled to appear in court on January 8.