Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Darius Adams was arraigned on an indictment charging him with manslaughter, assault, leaving the scene and other crimes for the death of Suzanne Schmieder, a Queens resident who was crossing Jamaica Avenue in March. Adams is alleged to have sped away after the crash and hours later called police to report his own medical episode.

District Attorney Katz said: “As alleged, Darius Adams recklessly swerved around a bus in a restricted roadway and struck Suzanne Schmieder, causing her to fly into the air before slamming into the ground and sliding underneath a parked car. The defendant then took off. Thank you to my Vehicular Homicide Unit for its investigation into this case. My heart goes out to the victim’s family and we hope to bring them justice in our courts.”

Adams, 28, who was living in the Bronx, was arraigned today on an indictment charging him with manslaughter in the second degree, assault in the second degree, leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, criminally negligent homicide, reckless endangerment in the second degree, reckless driving and unsafe lane change on a roadway laned for traffic before Queens Supreme Court Justice Ira Margulis. Adams, who was remanded, is to appear before Judge Michael Hartofilis on August 13.

Adams faces more than 15 years in prison, if convicted.

DA Katz said that, according to the charges and investigation, on March 11, 2026, at approximately 3:04 p.m., Adams, was driving a 2001 Lincoln LS sedan westbound on Jamaica Avenue in the vicinity of Parsons Boulevard. That roadway is restricted to buses only between the hours of 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. An MTA bus, which was properly in the roadway, had stopped to permit Suzanne Schmieder, 58, to cross the street.

Adams allegedly swerved around the bus and hit Schmieder, who was thrown into the air before falling to the ground and sliding under a parked car.

After striking Schmieder, Adams allegedly fled the location without rendering aid or calling 911. The victim was taken to a local hospital and pronounced deceased less than an hour after the collision.

At approximately 11 p.m. that night, Adams called 911 to report that he was having a medical episode. He was standing on the sidewalk in the vicinity of the parked Lincoln and directed police to his identification inside the car. The car allegedly had front end damage, a broken side mirror and scratches to the hood. During the search of the interior, officers found multiple liquor bottles. Fingerprint testing showed the prints belonged to the defendant.

Assistant District Attorneys Brian Cox and Angel Semerdzhiev of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau are prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Jonathan Selkowe, Unit Chief of the District Attorney’s Vehicular Homicide Unit and Deputy Bureau Chief of the Homicide Bureau, and John Kosinski, Homicide Bureau Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Shawn Clark.