Queens father incinerated in fiery wreck recalled as doting dad who brought smiles to co-workers, neighbors

A Queens man killed in a fiery early morning one-car wreck was a doting dad with aspirations in the food industry — and a relatively new driver, his neighbors and a co-worker said Tuesday.

Dylan Dipnarine, 24, died after losing control on a Queens expressway early Monday, with his airborne 2012 Infiniti flipping in midair before plowing into several cars in a tow lot and exploding in the darkness just outside Kennedy Airport, police said.

His on-again-off-again girlfriend told the Daily News she had to break the news of Dipnarine’s death to the 3-year-old daughter they shared, but the little girl is still working to understand it.

“I told her this morning,” said Stephanie Pinder. “Right now I don’t know how she’s feeling.”

Dipnarine was on his way to a 4 a.m. shift at a restaurant at the Queens airport when he crashed.

‘He loved cooking, and I always called him ‘my chef,’” Pinder said. “He wanted to basically get his own restaurant and open his own business.”

The last year proved to be trying for the family after Dipnarine lost his mother to cancer. Months later, his stepfather also died.

“It’s been hard because now I’ve gotta go and be the mom and dad for my daughter,” Pinder said. “It’s hard for me to know that I can’t even call him anymore and talk to him.”

“I’m still calling his phone to see if he will pick up the phone,” the devastated woman added.

Ivy Floren, who worked with Dipnarine at a Buffalo Wild Wings in the airport, recalled the victim as a loving father, upbeat and quick to bring smiles to the faces of co-workers.

“He loved her,” she said of Dipnarine’s daughter. “That was his first child. … He was always around since the day she was born.”

Floren, who said the victim was an immigrant from Trinidad, remembered him as a funny and engaging colleague.

“He was always worried about everybody else, helping-wise,” she recalled. “He was a hard worker. Definitely a hard worker. … If you needed help, he would find ways to help you.”

Neighbor Scott Williams described the victim as “very pleasant” and inexperienced behind the wheel.

“He hadn’t been driving long,” said Williams. “He has a daughter, she’s very young. … I didn’t know him intimately, but I was getting to know him. He was a nice man. We used to always talk about getting food from the Jamaican spot.”

Dipnarine was headed toward Long Island on the Nassau Expressway at around 3:30 a.m. Monday when he lost control of the vehicle, smashing through a tree and a fence before the car exploded after landing on several parked cars just outside the airport in Ozone Park.

The flames spread quickly to several vehicles parked inside the lot.

Friends took to Facebook to mourn the sudden and stunning death of their young pal.

“Still trying to understand what is going on,” one wrote in a Facebook posting. “I won’t believe you’re gone man we were supposed to have drinks tomorrow to catch up. Life is too short. Rest easy my friend.”

Another pal wrote “Damn Rest in Peace Dylan Dipnarine I love you Kiddd” with the hashtag “Lost for words.”

According to Floren, her friend had hopes of leaving his job at airport eateries for a better position as a kitchen manager.

His former landlord Edith Rosario recalled her old tenant as a man deeply devoted to his young daughter.

“He was a real good father,” she said. “He loved being a father. He walked up and down with his little girl, and he would always be with her when he was able to.”