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2 women face a litany of charges in connection with fatal Queens hit-and-run, DA says
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Feb 7, 2025
Modified Feb 7, 2025
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Sydney Pereira/Gothamist
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Feb 7, 2025
Modified Feb 7, 2025
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Two women are facing multiple criminal charges, including manslaughter, in connection with a hit-and-run that killed a 56-year-old man in Queens last year, officials announced on Friday.
Officials say Jamie Ferreira, 37, was speeding while driving a U-Haul truck on the Horace Harding Expressway on Aug. 20 when she struck pedestrian David Opiela, 56, who was later pronounced dead at the scene. Ferreira also hit another car and fled the scene on foot with her passenger, Jennifer Sablan, 43, according to officials.
“As alleged, a 56-year-old pedestrian was senselessly killed when he was struck by a speeding box truck operated by Jamie Ferreira,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement on Friday. “The defendant fled the vehicle with her passenger, Jennifer Sablan, and the contents of the U-Haul truck revealed that the duo were involved in other crimes, including identity theft.”
Katz went on to say that when officials searched the truck, they found a forged postal service key, a counterfeit $100 bill, multiple stolen credit cards, a stolen checkbook, and notebooks containing the personal and financial information of others. Officials also said that the truck was rented under an alias on Aug. 9.
Katz said the NYPD worked with the Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Secret Service to track down Ferreira and Sablan.
Both women are scheduled to return to court on March 13. Ferreira was charged in a 77-count indictment that included manslaughter, burglary and assault charges, as well as reckless driving, speeding and leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, according to officials.
She and Sablan were also both charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument in the first degree, criminal possession of stolen property, possession of burglar’s tools and 59 counts of unlawful possession of personal identification information in the third degree.
If convicted, Ferreira faces up to 15 years in prison for the manslaughter charge, up to 25 years to life in prison for the burglary charge and additional prison time on the other felony charges, according to officials. Sablan faces 7.5 to 15 years in prison, officials said.
Ferreira's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday, while Sablan's declined to comment.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
Tagged
queens
public safety
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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