A Bronx woman was sentenced to 18 years in prison Tuesday in Queens Supreme Court for killing a 62-year-old Uber passenger while drag racing at more than 120 miles per hour against other drivers on the Whitestone Expressway in May 2023.
Melissa Rodriguez-Lopez, 29, of Kossuth Avenue in the Van Cortland Park section, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree on Jan. 8 for causing the fatal crash, then fled the scene with another racer and reported her vehicle stolen in a failed attempt to avoid responsibility for her actions, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Tuesday.
According to the charges, at around 3 a.m. on May 27, Rodriguez-Lopez was driving a 2015 Lexus RC350 with personalized license plates northbound on the Whitestone Expressway with a friend, Marisol Cruz, in the passenger seat. While nearing the Whitestone Bridge, she hit the back of a Toyota Corolla driven by Manishanker Roy, 43, an Uber driver who was transporting Steven Spaulding, 62, of Brooklyn. Records from the Lexus indicate the car, which was registered to Rodriguez-Lopez, was going approximately 123 mph within seconds of the collision, and the force of the impact caused extensive damage to both cars, including the deployment of the defendant’s airbags.
EMS transported Roy and Spaulding to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital in Flushing. Roy had significant injuries to his neck and body, and Spaulding had numerous spinal fractures and suffered a stroke following emergency surgery. He died on June 10.
Rodriguez-Lopez and Cruz left the scene of the crash in another drag racer’s vehicle. She did not identify herself to the Uber driver or notify police at the time of the collision.
Later that morning, Rodriguez-Lopez made a report at the 52nd Precinct in her Bronx neighborhood that her car had been stolen and claimed she was with a friend the entire day. The charges state that DNA evidence gathered during the investigation disproved that. Body-worn camera footage shows that she had injuries to her arm consistent with an airbag deploying. Cruz sustained injuries to her lower leg and knee. Vehicle data from the Lexus provided investigators with the speed at the time of the crash.
“Racing on our highways and similar pursuits are not merely thrill-seeking escapades, they are a deadly threat to public safety,” Katz said. “In this case, a man tragically lost his life as he rode in a for-hire vehicle.”
Rodriguez pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and assault in the first-degree in satisfaction of the indictment. Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Aloise sentenced her to 18 years imprisonment.
“We are grateful that we were able to provide justice for the victim and hope the sentence provides a measure of solace to his loved ones,” Katz said.
