LaShanda Armstrong drives herself and her 3 children into Hudson River
- Two boys, aged five and two, and 11-month-old girl drown in the tragedy
- Ten-year-old son escapes by climbing out of vehicle window
- She snatched at Leshaun's leg as the minivan sunk before letting him go
- Neighbours say Miss Armstrong was a 'devoted mother'
Dead mother: LaShanda Armstrong, 25, of Newburgh, New York, and her three children died after she drove her car into a freezing river
The mother who drowned herself and three of her four children - by driving a minivan into a freezing river - left a chilling message on Facebook before loading them into the vehicle.
LaShanda Armstrong wrote: 'I’m sorry everyone forgive me please for what I’m gonna do… This is it!!!'
The 25-year-old 'snapped' after finding out her boyfriend and father of three of her four children - Jean Pierre, 26 - was cheating on her by sleeping with another woman, according to allegations from a friend.
In despair Miss Armstrong loaded her minivan with the children and drove it into the Hudson River, seven blocks from their home in Newburgh, New York.
The only survivor was her eldest son Leshaun, 10, who escaped by climbing over his mother and out the window next to her before the car went under.
But he told authorities that, as he escaped, his mother dramatically snatched at his leg before letting go.
Leshaun said his mother was saying 'I made a mistake. I made a terrible mistake' as the car sank deeper into the river.
The boy was picked up by a passerby and taken to a nearby fire station, where he revealed that his mother had driven into the river with three of his siblings inside the car.
He told officers that his mother said 'I'm sorry, I'm going to do something crazy,' later adding: 'If I'm going to die, you're going to die with me.'
Before the emergency services could respond, Landon Pierre, aged five, Lance Pierre, aged two, and 11-month-old Lainaina Pierre all drowned with Miss Armstrong.
Friends revealed that the source of the row was simmering resentment from Miss Armstrong about Mr Pierre's alleged infidelity.
Photos posted on Miss Armstrong's pages on social networking sites appeared to show the picture of happy family - one of her and Mr Pierre has the caption 'Alwayz Gon B'.
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Survivor: Leshaun Armstrong, left, escaped the car before Landon Pierre and two other siblings drowned
Drowned: 11-month-old Lainaina Pierre, left, and Lance Pierre, aged 2, were two of the three children who died
But behind the façade she was devastated, claimed Sharon Ramirez, who admitted to having a relationship with Mr Pierre.
The 22-year-old said she was sleeping with him for a while at the start of last year but the relationship ended.
She later became friends with Miss Armstrong, although she never admitted what she did, she said Miss Armstrong confided in her about her worries.
She said: 'On the surface Jean Pierre and her were the perfect couple but below the surface there were a lot of problems.
Tragedy: These latest pictures show locals paying their respects to the three dead children and their mother
Scene: Miss Armstrong loaded her four children into a minivan and drove into the Hudson minutes after police arrived at her flat after domestic dispute reports
'He was sleeping around and when she confronted him about it he laughed. He left her at one point because she wouldn't put up with it. He was old fashioned and treated her like his territory.
'She'd had her suspicions about him and when she confronted him about a month ago he just laughed at her.
'When we were seeing each other he told me he had kids but not that he was seeing somebody, when he was.
'She must have just snapped. Knowing her and knowing the way she is, she just couldn't take it any more. Whatever he said that night, it was the final straw.'
Together: Miss Armstrong is pictured with Jean Pierre, 26, who fathered three of her children - but not Leshaun
It was originally thought Miss Armstrong let out one child and kept the other three locked inside the vehicle, but police said Leshaun got out of the car himself.
Leshaun is 'doing good' and 'taking it all in' after the tragedy, Miss Armstrong's aunt Angela Gilliam said. Ms Gilliam added she spoke to her niece earlier Tuesday and she was 'not too good'.
Tina Clayborne, who lived a few doors down from Miss Armstrong, said she was a 'devoted mother'.
'I'd always see her sitting out the front looking after her kids as they played in the street. Even her ten-year-old was careful of the others and if they even went near the road he would pull them away.
My sons: Miss Armstrong is pictured with Leshaun, left, and Landon, right
'The children were always well-dressed, well-behaved and had good manners. They would go to school every day and the school bus used to drop them off right outside the house. It's just awful.'
Jean Simeon, who lived next door to Miss Armstrong, said he never heard any disturbances from the house in his four months there.
'They were a quiet family and she was always happy. The day this all happened, I saw her about 1pm and she was bringing her kids back to the house.
'She seemed at ease, her usual self. She didn't seem like the kind of person to do this at all. I just don't understand, it's a tragedy. I can't imagine what her family are going through.'
Tribute: Newburgh resident Cynthia Beadle throws flower petals and leaves a teddy bear on the boat ramp
Miss Armstrong picked up her four children from the Young and Unique Christian Development day care centre, and owner Desiree Watson said she arrived about six hours earlier than usual.
Ms Watson said: 'It did seem a little strange at first, but she said her work schedule would vary, so we didn't make much of it.'
On Wednesday Newburgh police chief Michael Ferrara detailed for the first time the fatal 15 minutes that claimed four lives, at a local press conference.
He said that at 7.45pm last night a relative of Miss Armstrong from outside Newburgh called police to say that she just received a call from the mother and that she had heard 'tussling' in the background - indicating some kind of row.
The relative was also aware of a 'history of domestic problems in the past', he added.
Officers went round to investigate but minutes before they did so Miss Armstrong drove off with her family in the minivan.
Tragedy: Newburgh Fire Chief Michael Vatter, left, and Police Chief Michael Ferrara give details of the horrific incident at a news conference in Newburgh today
Mr Ferrara said that when she drove into the water, Leshaun reached over his mother's body and wound down the electric window on the front driver's side and slithered out before it was submerged.
Mr Ferrara refused to comment on whether or not there were any attempts by Miss Armstrong or the others to free themselves.
Leshaun swam back to the shore where he was picked up by a passer-by and taken to a nearby fire station at 8pm.
Mr Ferrara said: 'From what we've gathered so far it was Miss Armstrong's intention to drive the car into the water. Leshaun climbed out of the window when the vehicle was in the water.
Home: The family house on William Street, Newburgh, from where Miss Armstrong drove to a nearby boat ramp
'If that child had not escaped that car this would still be a missing person's inquiry.'
The three children who died were fathered by Jean Pierre, but Leshaun was not. Mr Pierre did not live with Miss Armstrong, said Mr Ferrara.
He said there were no recorded instances of domestic abuse between the couple but investigators were looking through phone records to see if there was anything of note.
Asked if Mr Pierre would be charged with anything, he would only comment that investigations were ongoing.
Tears: Angela Gilliam, left, aunt of LaShanda Armstrong, places balloons, stuffed animals and candles near the boat ramp with three other women
Newburgh fire chief Michael Vatter said that when the car went into the water it sank about 25ft out and went 8ft down.
Passer-by Meave Ryan, 31, saw some of the incident happen and drove Leshaun to the fire station when he came ashore.
'He was waving his hands, screaming "Help me!",' she told the New York Daily News. 'He said: "My mummy just drove the car into the water".'
'He is obviously very shaken up,' said Mr Vatter.
Bagged: A teddy bear is seen next to the boat ramp where the minivan was driven into the Hudson
'When he came into the fire station he was having difficulty speaking and was repeating about the car being in the water with his mum and siblings.
'He was soaking wet and suffering from hypothermia - the water was about 40F.This case was particularly tragic. Given the circumstances it makes it all the more difficult for us.
'First responders tend to be young adults with children themselves so the ramifications of this with all the alleged circumstances can go very deeply into the psyche of the community.'
Christina Santos, 29, who knew Miss Armstrong from when she moved into her home nine months ago, said: 'She was very nice and she loved her kids, she worshipped the ground they walked on.
Tragedy site: A general view of the boating dock where Miss Armstrong drove a minivan containing her four children into the Hudson river
Onlooker: A man looks at the boat ramp where the mother drove her minivan into the river
'I don't know what went on but she was always on her own when I saw her.'
The pregnant mother-of-two added: 'I don't know what was going on in her head but I couldn't do that to my children. It was always about her kids, they were her life.'
Newburgh mayor Mike Valentine said the tragedy was 'second to none' and that the city was going through a 'difficult time'.
'We are a strong town but this is unlike anything we've had to cope with before,' he told MailOnline.
Conference: City officials in Newburgh gather at City Hall to address the media
Tuesday night: Rescue workers search the scene where the mother drove her minivan into the Hudson
'We have had instances of children being abused and last year a boy of four went missing but not like this.
'During the rescue we had one of the local pastors come down to the site and say a prayer as the rescue was going on, and I think that meant a lot. We will get through this.'
Newburgh's medical examiner was due to carry out autopsies on the victims on Wednesday.
Newburgh, which has about 30,000 residents, sits on the western shore of the part of the river that runs south through New York state and eventually splits New York and New Jersey.
Tragedy: The Beacon Newburgh Bridge close to where the car was driven into the Hudson (file picture)
Deaths: The vehicle had plunged into the water from a boat ramp located just south of the nearby Gully's Restaurant on Washington Place, Newburgh
The town is about 30 miles north of suburban Westchester County, where a mother driving a van the wrong way on a highway in 2009 slammed into an SUV, killing eight people.
The woman blamed in that crash, Diane Schuler, was reported to be drunk and high on marijuana, an autopsy found.
Schuler died, along with her daughter, three nieces and three men in the other vehicle. Schuler's five-year-old son survived.
The crash - and how Schuler could race against highway traffic with a van load of childre - intrigued the U.S. and was featured on TV talk shows for months.
Drive: The mother drove six blocks from her apartment on William Street in Newburgh to a nearby boat ramp by Washington Street leading into the river
Her husband, Daniel Schuler, disputed the autopsy results and paid for more studies of her remains in hopes of proving she was not intoxicated. The results have not been made public.
Tuesday night's incident has also been compared to the case of a South Carolina woman who drowned her young sons in 1994.
Susan Smith is serving a life sentence for killing 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex by strapping them into their car seats and driving the car into a pond.
Smith originally claimed she was car-jacked before the truth came out.
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