Driver Indicted in Fatal Hit-and-Run Near Queens Man's Home
Coming Home
Police say Johann Rohlehr hit Christopher Gayton near 166th Street and Linden Boulevard in Queens at about 8:45 p.m. on April 24, 2025, before a second driver hit Gayton; Gayton died the next day.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police say Johann Rohlehr hit 62-year-old Christopher Gayton near his South Jamaica home on the evening of April 24, 2025, and drove away. A second driver, in a Ford Edge, then hit Gayton and remained at the scene. Gayton died the following day at Jamaica Hospital. Rohlehr was indicted in October on charges of leaving the scene without reporting and failure to exercise due care. The Ford driver was not arrested.
Two drivers hit Gayton
Police say Rohlehr was driving east on Linden Boulevard when he hit Gayton and drove away. A 49-year-old driver in a 2024 Ford Edge then hit Gayton and remained at the scene.
Emergency responders took Gayton to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in critical condition. He died the following day.
Near his South Jamaica home
Gayton was crossing Linden Boulevard near 166th Street, just outside his South Jamaica home. Police say both drivers were traveling east on Linden Boulevard.
Christopher Gayton
Gayton was 62 and was walking with a cane that evening. A relative described him as a brother, father, son, uncle and cousin, and remembered his laugh and calm personality.
The vehicle descriptions differ
Police identified Rohlehr's vehicle as a black sedan and the second driver's as a 2024 Ford Edge. The city crash record's summary labels both vehicles SUVs, while its individual vehicle entries list a sedan and an SUV.
Factors recorded by the city
The city crash record attributes failure to yield and driver inattention to the sedan driver, and driver inattention to the SUV driver. These recorded factors are separate from the criminal charges.
An indictment six months later
Police arrested Rohlehr on October 21, 2025. He was indicted and arraigned on charges of leaving the scene without reporting and failure to exercise due care. He was released on his own recognizance and ordered to return to court on November 25. The Ford driver was not arrested.