A beloved couple who just moved their family from the Upper West Side to Westchester were killed in a devastating Thanksgiving car crash in Connecticut that also left their young children seriously injured.
Toby and Brooke Cohen, of Scarsdale, were traveling home from a family gathering when their vehicle left the road, struck a road sign, and crashed into the woods in Bristol on Thanksgiving night, the Bristol Police Department told The Post in a statement.
Toby, 41, and Brooke, 37, were declared dead at the scene, authorities said.
Their three children – 6-year-old twin boys and a 2-year-old girl – were transported to the hospital, where they remain in critical but stable condition, the West Side Rag reported.
“It sounded like an explosion almost, and then we heard the sirens and saw the lights. We walked over there and it was just a tragic scene,” Paul Nanos, who lives near the scene of the crash, told CBS News.
Toby and Brooke – who moved to Scarsdale from the Upper West Side in August – met when the latter was interning at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, a spokesperson for the prosecutor told The Post.
She started working full-time at the office in 2012, and spent over 10 years in the Domestic Violence Bureau before stepping down last summer, the spokesperson added.
“The profound loss of our dear friend and longtime colleague Brooke Cohen, and her husband Toby, leaves a void not only in our professional community but deeply affects each one of us who had the privilege of knowing and working alongside them,” DA Eric Gonzalez said in a formal statement.
“Throughout her time in Brooklyn, Brooke demonstrated unwavering dedication, relentless advocacy, and a steadfast commitment to combating gender-based violence,” Gonzalez added. “From her early days as an assistant to her role as a supervisor in the criminal court, she fought for justice with positivity, resilience, and a contagious smile that inspired those around her.”
“Beyond her legal expertise, Brooke was a loyal friend, and an outstanding colleague. She took on new responsibilities with energy and enthusiasm which inspired and motivated those around her, and as a mentor, Brooke guided many in the office, fostering both personal and professional growth.”
As of October this year, Brooke worked for the New York County District Attorney’s Office, according to her LinkedIn.
In a statement shared with The Post, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg wrote that he was “deeply saddened” by the mom of three’s death.
“Brooke was an outstanding lawyer who made a tremendous impact at DANY in a short amount of time,” Bragg said.
Toby Cohen was a real estate attorney who most recently worked as assistant general counsel with the Red Apple Group, according to his LinkedIn page.
At the couple’s funeral service in New Jersey last week, relatives were still baffled that a joyful Thanksgiving holiday had ended so tragically.
“Who knew when we shared our loving goodbyes and our hugs that it would be the last?” Brooke’s brother, Matthew Peltz, said at the service, according to Connecticut Insider.
Just a few hours before the accident, Peltz and his fiancée asked Brooke to be a bridesmaid in their wedding, and for her sons and daughter to be the ring bearer and flower girl, he added.
“Brooke would selflessly put all our needs before her own. We were always her first priority,” the devastated brother said.
Friends and family have established a GoFundMe to help the Cohens’ children move forward.
“We hope to make a lasting difference in their lives and provide all we can after this tremendous loss. They have so much life ahead of them,” the fundraiser page read.
As of Wednesday morning, the page had already raised over $285,000 of its $500,000 goal.