Driver charged after fatal Jamaica Avenue hit-and-run
A proper farewell
A driver in a sedan killed 58-year-old Suzanne Schmieder on Jamaica Avenue in Queens, according to city records and press accounts; prosecutors later charged Darius Adams with manslaughter in the hit-and-run.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Suzanne Schmieder, 58, was killed on March 11, 2026, on Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica, Queens. City crash data recorded one pedestrian death at 155-10 Jamaica Ave. and listed a sedan traveling west. Police first described a hit-and-run by a driver in a dark-colored sedan. In July, Queens prosecutors said Darius Adams was driving a 2001 Lincoln LS westbound in a bus-restricted roadway, allegedly swerved around a stopped MTA bus, hit Schmieder, and left without rendering aid or calling 911. Adams was charged with manslaughter and other crimes; the case was pending in court.
What happened on Jamaica Avenue
The city crash record places the crash at 3:06 p.m. on March 11, 2026, at 155-10 Jamaica Ave. in Queens and records one pedestrian death. The record lists a sedan traveling west and cites improper passing or lane usage for the driver.
Police told reporters that a driver in a dark-colored sedan hit the woman while she was crossing Jamaica Avenue and left the scene. Medics took her to Jamaica Hospital, where she died.
The crash happened by a busy federal building
Police and local reports placed the crash near the Social Security Administration building at 155-10 Jamaica Ave., close to Parsons Boulevard in Jamaica. ABC7 described the roadway as restricted to buses and trucks; prosecutors described it as bus-only from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Suzanne Schmieder was remembered by her family
The Daily News identified the woman as Suzanne Schmieder and reported that she had gone to get coffee while she and her husband were at the Social Security office seeking help moving from a shelter into an apartment. Her daughter, Sydney Schmieder, said she had spoken with her mother two hours before the crash: “She sounded great. She sounded so good.”
Prosecutors later brought manslaughter charges
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced in July that Darius Adams, 28, had been arraigned on an indictment charging him with manslaughter in the second degree, assault, leaving the scene, criminally negligent homicide, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, and unsafe lane change. Prosecutors alleged Adams swerved around a stopped MTA bus in the restricted roadway, hit Schmieder, and left without rendering aid or calling 911.
The Daily News reported that Adams was ordered held without bail after a court appearance. Prosecutors said he faced more than 15 years in prison if convicted.