Frank Labidi, of Farmingville, arrested in Hicksville crash that killed 2 Levittown 19-year-old passengers

A Farmingville man pleaded not guilty Friday afternoon in First District Court in Hempstead to two counts of second-degree manslaughter and two counts of second-degree assault for a crash that killed two teens Jan. 23 in Hicksville.

Homicide Squad detectives arrested Frank Labidi, 23, early Friday, charging him in the crash that killed Alexa Duryea, 19, and Lindsey Parke, 19, both of Levittown, Nassau County Police said.

The two women were passengers in a 2018 BMW Labidi was driving west on Old Country Road at about 11:30 p.m. when he lost control, crossed into oncoming traffic, spun around and crashed into a tree and a building, according to a felony complaint filed in the Hempstead court.

Labidi was allegedly driving "at a high rate of speed in a 40 mph zone," the complaint reads. The force of impact ejected the muffler from his vehicle into the building.

Both women, one in the front seat and one in the back, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Labidi was taken to a hospital for treatment and evaluation after the crash with non-life-threatening injuries.

Parke's father, Eddie Parke, attended Friday's arraignment. "Anybody whose ever dated either one of my daughters, I ask them please be very careful with them, not to drive fast and so on," Parke said. "That night we asked [Labidi] to be very careful with our daughter. He promised me he would be careful and my daughter never came home."

Peter Menoudakos, Labidi's defense attorney, told Newsday in a telephone interview Friday, "Frank and his family are just devastated over this travesty." Menoudakos declined to comment further.

Duryea and Parke attended Levittown's MacArthur and Division Avenue high schools respectively, district Superintendent Todd Winch said in a statement emailed via a spokesperson to Newsday. Winch said the school district is "devastated" by the loss of the two recent graduates who "were active members of their school communities."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, friends, and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time," Winch said.

Duryea's mother, Jessica Duryea, said the teen "watched over her siblings with a fierce yet gentle love" in a text message sent to Newsday.

"From everyday moments to silly TikToks and unforgettable family trips to Hershey Park, Alexa filled their childhoods with laughter, comfort, and memories that will be treasured forever," Duryea added.

She described Alexa as "loyal" to her friends, noting that she had "a way of showing up for the people she loved."

"Though her time here was far too short, Alexa's impact was immense," her mother said. "She leaves behind a legacy of love, strength, friendship, and devotion to family."

Parke was a volunteer firefighter with the Levittown Fire Department's Ladder Company 6. "Her smile, laugh, and willingness to help anyone will be forever missed," the service said in a Facebook post. The ladder company added that Parke was "a talented, hard working and passionate young woman" who often provided her fellow volunteers with homemade "cupcakes and cookies."

Those homemade goods reached countless community members, according to Parke's sister, Haley.

"She would try to find homeless people on the street and give them her cupcakes that she made that night," Haley Parke, 20, told Newsday in a telephone interview.

Parke was also a certified EMT, her sister said. She hoped to go to college and pursue both her love of helping others by joining the FDNY and her penchant for baking with her own shop. The teen enjoyed adventurous activities, including driving quads, snowboarding and ziplining, her mother, Annette Sitzman-Parke, told Newsday.

"We are very proud of our daughter, all that she accomplished in the 19 years that we had her," Sitzman-Parke said. "The world lost a beautiful, wonderful soul, because she contributed positively to everyone she met."

On Friday, Labidi pleaded not guilty before Judge Maria Boultadakis. Boultadakis ordered him held on $500,000 cash bail, $1.25 million insured bond or $2.5 million partially secured surety bond.

Newsday's John Valenti contributed to this story.