Driver convicted of murder in Mother's Day crash that killed Queens mom
On May 8, 2022, on 120 Avenue, Roosevelt Rose fatally injured pedestrian Florence Ngwu while driving a Ford F-550, and a Queens jury later convicted him of murder.
Reported intersection.
What We Know
City crash data records a May 8, 2022, crash at 8:33 a.m. on 120 Avenue that killed a 49-year-old woman walking and injured another pedestrian, with aggressive driving/road rage recorded as a contributing factor. Prosecutors later identified the woman as Florence Ngwu and the driver as Roosevelt Rose. According to the Queens DA, Rose was driving a white 2019 Ford F-550 on the South Jamaica dead-end street, hit parked cars while trying to turn around, then drove away after Ngwu was pinned. A jury convicted Rose of second-degree murder, assault, criminal mischief and leaving the scene; the DA said he faced up to 25 years to life.
A turn on a dead-end block became fatal
The official crash record lists a pedestrian death and a pedestrian injury at 8:33 a.m. on May 8, 2022, on 120 Avenue, with aggressive driving/road rage recorded as a contributing factor.
Queens prosecutors said Roosevelt Rose was driving a white 2019 Ford F-550 on 120th Avenue, a dead-end street in South Jamaica, when he tried to turn around, hit a BMW, continued the turn, hit the BMW again, then accelerated into a parked Chevy Equinox and dragged it nearly 15 feet. Prosecutors said Florence Ngwu was pinned and died at a hospital the next day.
Florence Ngwu was remembered as a mother and nurse
Family members identified the woman who died as Florence Ngwu, 49. CBS New York reported that she was a nurse and a mother of four. Her niece, Nnenna B, described her as "A very caring, very loving woman."
Sources describe the driven vehicle differently
The official crash record classifies the driven Ford as a station wagon or sport utility vehicle and lists four parked vehicles: two SUVs and two sedans. Prosecutors and news reports described the driven vehicle as a white 2019 Ford F-550 truck.
Rose was arrested, tried and convicted
Police arrested Roosevelt Rose in October 2022, and prosecutors said he was charged with murder, manslaughter, assault, leaving the scene, criminal mischief and reckless driving. The Queens DA later announced that a jury convicted Rose of second-degree murder, first-degree assault, third-degree criminal mischief and leaving the scene of an incident without reporting.
Where
167th Street and 120th Avenue, South Jamaica, Queens, NY