Rodriguez-Lopez pleaded guilty after fatal Whitestone crash
Melissa Rodriguez-Lopez pleaded guilty after a crash recorded at 3:38 a.m. on May 27, 2023, on the Whitestone Expressway, where prosecutors said she raced at about 123 mph and hit a Toyota carrying Uber passenger Steven Spaulding, who suffered fatal injuries.
Approximate reported location.
What We Know
Melissa Rodriguez-Lopez pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and first-degree assault after Queens prosecutors said she raced north on the Whitestone Expressway at about 123 mph and hit the rear of a Toyota carrying Uber passenger Steven Spaulding, 62. The official record places the crash at 3:38 a.m. on May 27, 2023, and records one person killed. Prosecutors said Rodriguez-Lopez and her passenger left in another racer's vehicle; she later reported her Lexus stolen. The DA's office said the judge indicated an 18-year prison sentence.
A high-speed rear-end collision
Queens prosecutors said Rodriguez-Lopez was racing north on the Whitestone Expressway at about 123 mph when she hit the rear of the Toyota carrying Spaulding.
The official record gives the crash time as 3:38 a.m. on May 27, 2023; prosecutors described it as around 3 a.m. The official vehicle record lists unsafe speed and unsafe lane changing as contributing factors for the Lexus.
Reports differ on vehicle type descriptions
Queens prosecutors identified Rodriguez-Lopez's car as a 2015 Lexus RC350 and the ride-hail car as a Toyota Corolla. The official record labels each vehicle entry as a sedan, but its collision-level vehicle-type field lists a sedan and a convertible.
Spaulding was riding to Brooklyn
Steven Spaulding, 62, of Brooklyn, was a passenger in the Toyota, which was being driven as an Uber by Manishanker Roy, 43. Queens prosecutors said Spaulding suffered extensive spinal injuries and a fatal stroke. The Bronx Times reported that Spaulding and Roy were taken to New York-Presbyterian Queens and that Spaulding died on June 10, 2023.
The Bronx Times reported that Roy sustained neck and body injuries. It identified Marisol Cruz as Rodriguez-Lopez's passenger and reported that Cruz suffered lower-leg and knee injuries.
Along the Whitestone Expressway
The official record places the crash on the Whitestone Expressway. QNS described the site as near Harvey Park in Whitestone, while Queens prosecutors placed it near the Whitestone Bridge and Cross Island Parkway.
A guilty plea followed the crash
Prosecutors said Rodriguez-Lopez and her passenger left in another racer's vehicle without notifying police. Later that morning, Rodriguez-Lopez reported her Lexus stolen at the NYPD's 52nd Precinct in the Bronx.
Rodriguez-Lopez pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and first-degree assault. The DA's office said the judge indicated an 18-year prison sentence.