What Happened
Allison Rahmani, 40, of Hewlett died Friday, August 21, 2026, after her SUV left the driveway or yard area and drove into the backyard swimming pool at her family’s Hewlett home, according to the New York Post. Nassau County Police confirmed the fatality.
Rahmani managed to call 911 from inside the submerged vehicle, police said. Rescuers could not save her in time. She was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital.
Sources close to the investigation told the New York Post that investigators believe Rahmani suffered a medical episode before losing control of the SUV. Police do not suspect foul play. The probe is open and a cause of the medical event has not been publicly identified.
Rahmani was the math coordinator at the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway. She had recently celebrated her 40th birthday. Her husband, Matthew Rahmani, is president of Irving Place Minyan Orthodox Synagogue in Woodmere. The couple had four children.
Her funeral was held Sunday, August 23, at Boulevard-Riverside Chapels in Hewlett — the same day she and her husband had been scheduled to leave for Paris. Matthew Rahmani recited “Eshet Chayil,” a Hebrew wedding prayer grooms traditionally recite to their brides at Jewish weddings, as a tribute at the service. Her mother, Rachelle Rohde, delivered a eulogy. “We are broken,” Rohde told mourners. “We will never be the same.”
NBC New York also covered the August 21 crash, reporting that Rahmani’s SUV went into a Nassau County backyard pool, consistent with details confirmed by Nassau County Police and the New York Post’s investigative reporting.
Location & Road Context
The crash occurred at the Rahmani family’s private residence in Hewlett, a South Shore Nassau County hamlet in the Town of Hempstead. Hewlett sits between Woodmere to the east and Lawrence to the west, roughly along the Peninsula Boulevard corridor. For road and traffic conditions in Nassau County’s South Shore communities, see our Nassau County roads coverage.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Nassau County Police are investigating the crash as an accident stemming from a suspected medical episode, sources told the New York Post. Detectives have not named the specific medical event. No charges have been filed and no criminal conduct is suspected. The investigation was active as of Sunday, August 23.
Broader Impact
A medical episode as the proximate cause of a fatal crash shifts the investigation from traffic enforcement to a medical examiner determination. Nassau County Police will likely coordinate with the medical examiner’s office to confirm the nature of the episode before the investigation closes. No timeline for that finding has been made public.