A 34-year-old mother of two is dead and a Flushing man sits in a Rikers Island jail cell, charged with assault but facing a possible 15 years for manslaughter after he allegedly drove his SUV into Flushing Meadows-Corona Park at over 70 miles per hour.
Former Queens resident Paula Jimenez had come up from her home in Virginia to attend a reunion picnic in the park with classmates from Newtown High School on Saturday, August 29.
Shortly after 8 p.m., police say, she had gone to the edge of the park to retrieve her wallet.
While Jimenez was reportedly talking on her cellphone, a 2000 Ford Suburban SUV, allegedly driven by Jian Feng He, 49, of Smart Street in Flushing, plowed into a parked car at high-speed.
The parked car slammed into the mother of two, reportedly severing her spine and causing extensive kidney and head injuries. She was transported to New York Hospital Queens, where she died the next day.
On the basis of initial reports, Feng He, a native of China, was arraigned on Monday, August 31 on charges including assault and reckless endangerment. Judge Ira Margulis set bail at $150,000 and remanded him to jail until either bail is posted, or his next court date on Tuesday, September 15.
According to Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, Feng He admitted that he had been involved in an accident on the Van Wyck Expressway and left the scene, reportedly claiming he was chasing a car that had stopped in front of him.
He allegedly exited the highway into the park at between 75 and 80 miles per hour before striking the blue Toyota Corolla, which struck Jimenez.
Published reports said that Feng He’s lawyer claimed the brakes were defective.
Sources close to the DA’s office said that, under the circumstances, it is a matter of when – and not if – a charge of manslaughter will be filed against Feng He, which would raise the potential prison sentence from seven to 15 years.
Jimenez is survived by her husband of 12 years, Andrew, 42, and daughters Gabriella, 10, and Arianna, 8.
