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Details have begun to emerge regarding the case of 25-year-old Lashanda Armstrong, the Upstate New York mother of four who killed herself and three of her children by driving her minivan into the Hudson River Tuesday night.

One of Armstrong's children--10-year-old La'Shaun Armstrong--managed to escape the harrowing ordeal by rolling down the front passenger window of the black minivan and swimming to safety. After a passerby picked up La'Shaun and took him to a nearby fire station, he told the story of how his mother piled her children in the minivan, muttering about a tense argument that she had had with La'Shaun's stepfather, Jean Pierre. Pierre had reportedly been cheating.

According to young La'Shaun, Armstrong drove the van to the riverside and began driving to the water's edge. Just as the car began to go over, she had second thoughts and tried to reverse course but it was too late. She submerged the van in 10 feet of water. Clutching her children to her, she said "if I am going to die, you are going to die with me."

La'Shaun escaped, swimming through the 45-degree water, and signaled for help. When he got to the nearby fire station, he was shivering and shaken up from the tragic ordeal.

Life had not been easy for La'Shaun and his siblings. According to the New York Times, Lashanda had given birth to him when she was just 15. At 25, she had had three more children, this time with a new man who reportedly refused to help raise them. Lashanda attended school, worked and raised her young brood, drawing praise from neighbors as a caring mother with happy, well-adjusted children.

Neighbors also said Armstrong and Pierre fought frequently, most often over Pierre's infidelities. Pierre was released Wednesday night after questioning by police, and was unlikely to face charges.

The tragedy has left the town of Newburgh, NY--a hard-luck burgh just 60 miles from Manhattan--visibly shaken. Mourners placed balloons and flowers at the boat entrance where the minivan sank, and some have come to mourn the loss of the Armstrong family.

Neighbors said the couple fought frequently, most often over Pierre's infidelities. Pierre was released Wednesday night after questioning by police, and was unlikely to face charges.