A Jamaica man was indicted by a Queens grand jury on murder charges for a Mother’s Day hit-and-run that killed 49-year-old Florence Ngwu, a South Jamaica mother of four, just steps from her home.
Roosevelt Rose, 56, was arraigned Thursday, Oct. 13, before Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder on a seven-count indictment charging him with murder, assault, manslaughter, criminal mischief and leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
According to the charges, on the morning of May 8, at approximately 8:30 a.m., Rose was driving a stolen white 2019 Ford F-550 truck. While attempting to make a three-point turn at the dead end of 120th Avenue, the defendant allegedly struck multiple parked vehicles, including a parked BMW sedan that belonged to 24-year-old Princess Ngwu. Upon hearing the commotion, she exited her house along with her mother, Florence, and a neighbor.
Video surveillance of the incident shows the three individuals trying to approach the defendant, at which point he continued his reckless attempt to turn the truck around on the narrow street. The defendant can be seen on video slamming into a parked SUV during the turn, forcing the SVU to lurch forward. The victim and the two other individuals were standing directly behind the SUV, the force of which threw them all to the ground. The victim, Florence Ngwu, fell behind the rear bumper of another parked vehicle. She was immediately crushed between the front bumper of the SUV and the rear bumper of the parked vehicle as Rose drove away from the scene, according to the charges.
As a result of being pinned between the two vehicles, Ngwu sustained fatal head injuries. EMS responded and rushed her to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where she succumbed to her injuries the following day. Following a thorough investigation by the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad, Rose was arrested Thursday morning.
“This is a horrifying incident involving the heartbreaking death of a local mom on a day meant to be a celebration for her and her loved ones,” Katz said. “As alleged, the defendant was operating a vehicle when he slammed into parked cars on a residential street, causing the victim to get pinned between two bumpers. My office will not allow the use of motor vehicles as dangerous weapons. The defendant is now in custody and will be held accountable for his alleged criminal actions.”
Justice Holder set the defendant’s return date for Dec. 12. Rose faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
