Two of the three young people killed in a fiery single-vehicle crash in Niagara-on-the-Lake last week were laid to rest Tuesday, as grieving families and community members gathered for a funeral service in Niagara Falls.
The horrific crash and deaths of the young men — two of them Brock University students — have left members of Niagara’s Muslim community mourning and concerned for their own loved ones.
Niagara Regional Police, citing privacy concerns, have refused to release any details about the fatal crash or say where the victims were from.
The Lake Report pieced together information about the victims and the circumstances of the crash through interviews with people in the Muslim community and elsewhere.
Sultan Siddique, 17, and Shaikh Abdullah Faisal, 22, were buried at the Niagara Islamic Cemetery in Welland following Tuesday’s janaza, or Islamic funeral prayer.
“They were very good, very helping people,” said Imam Asad Mahmood, president of Mosque Aisha in Niagara Falls.
He said he knew the young men well and has spoken to the families of all the victims.
“Every time we had an event, they would come, they would set up the tables, they would feed people, they would clean up afterwards.”
Faisal, a student at Brock University, also worked part-time at the Marotta Family Hospital in St. Catharines.
Siddique, who was driving, lived in Niagara Falls, but his family lives in Kuwait. His father had purchased the vehicle for him last month while visiting Canada, Mahmood said.
The third victim has not yet been officially identified, though the body is believed to be that of their friend Moiz, a Brock student who was living and working in Waterloo for the summer. His last name has not been confirmed.
Mahmood said Moiz drove from Waterloo to meet Siddique and Faisal at the Mosque Aisha parking lot on Sunday night, July 20.
He joined them in Siddique’s car for what would be their final fateful drive.
Around 3 a.m. on July 21, the vehicle appeared to be northbound on Concession 6, based on tire skid marks found at the scene.
However, police are still investigating the details of the collision, including exactly what direction they were travelling.
It appears that as the car neared the Queenston Road intersection, it veered off the road, struck a tree and came to a stop in a roadside ditch. It then burst into flames, with the three young men trapped inside.
The car was badly damaged and took out several tree branches before stopping. By the time first responders arrived, all three occupants had died.
Mahmood said he heard from a friend of Siddique, who spoke with the police, that Faisal and Moiz died on impact, while Siddique survived the initial crash.
Police have not confirmed this detail or any other aspects of how the incident unfolded.
As of Tuesday, Niagara Regional Police spokesperson Stephanie Sabourin said the police service “has not positively identified the individuals involved in the fatal collision.”
“Out of respect for the families and in accordance with privacy legislation, we will not be confirming or releasing the identities of those involved — now or in the future — unless there is an investigative necessity to do so,” she told The Lake Report.
Siddique and Faisal were identified using DNA provided by their families, Mahmood said.
The third body has not been released, as Moiz’s parents are in Pakistan and have not yet been able to send a DNA sample to the coroner’s office.
“Three children, young children. Regardless of if they’re Muslim, but from any community, when an incident like that happens, everybody is very sad and very terrified for their children, their future,” said Mahmood.
In a media release on Tuesday, police said the investigation remains ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call them at 905-688-4111, dial option 3, extension 1009504.
