'She loved life': Adriana Sylmetaj's brother says she was 'excited to be a mom' before tragedy struck
STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK: A grieving man remembered his sister after her life was cut short during a booze-fueled car accident that also claimed the life of her unborn child. Adriana Sylmetaj reportedly died after her drunken boyfriend, Adem Nikeziq, crashed his white Dodge sedan into a barrier wall and utility pole on Hylan Boulevard, near Rose Ave in New Dorp, early on Saturday, January 28.
The crash was so severe that it reportedly left the SUV in three pieces while the 23-year-old mother-to-be was thrown out of it. However, 30-year-old Nikeziq survived with minor wounds. He is now facing various charges, including manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, driving while intoxicated and assault.
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Adriana Sylmetaj was to have a baby girl in April
Sylmetaj and Nikeziq would have become parents of a baby girl in April. Her brother, Al, told NY Daily News, “She was excited when she learned she was going to be a mother. It was something new to her. She couldn’t wait to see the baby born. They were thinking on names but I don’t think they came to any decision. ... They were planning on a baby shower.”
Nikeziq reportedly had a criminal history as in 2017, he was arrested for drunken driving and driving with a revoked license. Then again, two years later, in 2019, he drove with a revoked license and when cops tried to handcuff him, he fought back.
Al reportedly expressed that he did not like Nikeziq, who most of the time seemed to be in a drunken state while struggling to cope after the loss of his father. The brother remarked, “I had this feeling the outcome was going to be this way. Every time he presented himself, he was under the influence — not that he was uncontrollable, but how he articulated himself. He would always ask if I wanted to go have a drink. My birthday just passed and he was inviting me to go out to have a drink but I just said no thank you.”
Adriana Sylmetaj ‘was perfect’
Sylmetaj was a veterinary technician by profession. An unnamed friend of hers reportedly said, “She was perfect. That’s it. There’s nothing you can say. It’s just a f***ed up way to die. She didn’t deserve that and neither did the baby ... There’s nothing I can say that can fix that and there’s nothing I can say that can change that.”
Al said, “She loved life, man, always happy, always outgoing. The family was all expecting the baby. My two kids — I have a 5 year old and 6 year old and to have another baby around, we were expecting it and looking forward to it. It’s tough man. I still think it’s like I’m going to wake up out of this thing. Like I just can’t believe it. It didn’t settle in yet.”
‘Adriana and Nikeziq’s love wasn’t mutual’
According to Al, Nikeziq did not seem to be happy with the idea of a baby coming. He told the publication, “I don’t think he was ready to have a kid. I didn’t see it. Like he wasn’t prepared for it. You know when you are a father expecting to be. ... He wouldn’t get behind the wheel intoxicated like that. You got to think a little.”
Al also alleged that Nikeziq seemed manipulative to him and to the family. He added, “I couldn’t really put my finger on it. I didn’t know if I should be worried and I was leaning towards more of the worried side. When she says she’s happy, she loves him, I took her word for it and I was like, all right. I would check up on her to make sure if she’s all right and OK. Maybe it just wasn’t a mutual thing. Like she loved him more than he loved her. It just didn’t feel reciprocated.”