Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Roosevelt Rose was sentenced today to 28 ½ years to life in prison for a hit-and-run crash on Mother’s Day in 2022 that resulted in the death of 49-year-old Florence Ngwu in front of her South Jamaica home.

District Attorney Katz said: “The defendant behaved recklessly to the point of depravity and without regard for the consequences of his actions on Mother’s Day 2022 when he hit two parked cars while driving a commercial pickup truck – causing one vehicle to strike and kill Florence Ngwu. Prior to that day, Roosevelt Rose had never operated a vehicle of this size and power. We hope that today’s sentence brings comfort and solace to Florence Ngwu’s family.”

Rose, 59, of 89^th Avenue in Jamaica, was convicted by a jury in July of murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree, criminal mischief in the third degree and leaving the scene of an incident without reporting. Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Aloise sentenced the defendant today to 28 ½ years to life in prison.

According to the charges and trial testimony, on May 8, 2022, at approximately 8:30 a.m., the defendant was driving a white 2019 Ford F-550 truck on 120^th Avenue, a dead-end street in South Jamaica. The truck belonged to a construction company and Rose had never driven such a vehicle before that day.

The defendant attempted to turn the truck around by executing a three-point turn in front of Florence Ngwu’s home. He hit a BMW belonging to Ngwu’s daughter.

The noise of the collision drew 49-year-old Ngwu and her daughter outside. They called police to report the damage.

Instead of exiting the truck, Rose continued the attempt to turn the vehicle and hit the BMW again causing significantly more damage. The defendant ignored the shouts of bystanders for him to stop.

When Rose turned the truck parallel to the avenue to drive away, he accelerated and hit a parked Chevy Equinox and pushed it almost 15 feet. At the same time, Ngwu, her daughter and a neighbor were walking away. Rose smashed the Chevy Equinox into the trio and drove away.

Ngwu was pinned between the Chevy and another parked car. The impact lacerated her spinal cord, tore her brain stem and caused other critical injuries. She was taken to a hospital where she died the next day.

Rose abandoned the truck outside a church about a mile and half away from the crash site. Video surveillance captured him exiting the truck and walking away.

Assistant District Attorney Gabriel J. Reale of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau prosecuted the case with the assistance of Assistant District Attorney Brian Cox, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys John Kosinski, Bureau Chief, and Karen Ross and Jonathan Selkowe, Deputy Bureau Chiefs, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for the Major Crimes Division Shawn Clark.