U-Haul driver who killed Queens man charged with manslaughter

A 37-year-old pistillate has been arrested for a bizarre hit-and-run clang involving a U-Haul motortruck that killed a beloved Queens resident, constabulary said Friday.

Jamie Ferreira is facing manslaughter and a big of different charges, including burglary, reckless driving, driving connected the sidewalk, and leaving the country of an mishap for the fatal Aug. 20 clang astatine the intersection of Kissena Blvd. and Horace Harding Expressway that killed 56-year-old David Opiela, constabulary said.

A pistillate riding successful the U-Haul with her, Jennifer Sablan, 43, was besides arrested and deed with a raft of charges aft counterfeit currency arsenic good arsenic stolen recognition cards and a checkbook taken from an Elmhurst location were recovered successful the backmost of the truck, prosecutors said.

“The duo were progressive successful different crimes, including individuality theft,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Friday. “Thanks to the bonzer collaboration betwixt my office, the NYPD, the Postal Inspection Service, and the United States Secret Service, we were capable to way down these defendants and complaint them six months aft the crash.”

Ferreira was down the instrumentality erstwhile she blew a stoplight, mounted the curb by a state presumption and slammed into Opiela and a airy pole.

Obtained by Daily News

A U-Haul motortruck (circled) is pictured moments earlier it blows done a reddish light, sidesplitting David Opiela connected Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, successful Queens. (Obtained by Daily News)

Opiela was deed truthful hard helium was knocked retired of his enactment boots, longtime person Michael Abbate said.

“We can’t hold ’till we person our time successful tribunal truthful we tin look into the eyes of these cowards,” Abbate said Friday.

Ferreira drove distant from the clang scene, lone to collide with a Honda Accord driven by a 42-year-old man, constabulary said.

Ferreira, who was picked up successful Pennsylvania earlier this week, and Sablan fled the country connected foot, officials said.

Surveillance video recovered by the Daily News astatine the clip shows the U-Haul container motortruck entering the framework astatine a precocious speed, its headlights momentarily illuminating Opiela arsenic the motortruck barrels toward the intersection, appearing to leap the tiny curb. When the spot wherever Opiela stood becomes disposable again, his assemblage is obscurity to beryllium seen successful the footage.

Opiela died astatine the scene. The driver of the Honda was taken to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

“If helium would person died astatine location successful his sleep, that’s 1 happening — but to spell to the marketplace and not travel home?” Abbate told the Daily News successful August aft his friend’s death. “You expect radical to dice astatine location successful their furniture astatine night, not this horrific mode helium got taken.”

Opiela, a Flushing native, died conscionable 2 blocks from his home.

Billy Masi, 75, who said he’d known Opiela for 20 years, called him “King David.”

“I conjecture I conscionable felt determination was immoderate inherent nobility successful him,” Masi said successful August erstwhile asked astir the nickname. “He was a gentle giant. A protector.”

Obtained by Daily News

Hit-and-run unfortunate David Opiela successful an undated photo. (Obtained by Daily News)

For the past year, Masi said, Opiela had been surviving with him connected 59th Ave.

“I told him ‘good night’ astatine astir 9:45 p.m.,” Masi said, recalling the nighttime his person died.  “The detectives came by astir 2:30 a.m.”

“As acold arsenic I cognize helium was going to the store,” Abbate said of the state presumption astatine the country of Kissena and Horace Harding.

“I don’t privation him to conscionable beryllium a statistic.” Abbate told The News. “He’s a bully guy. He’d springiness you the garment disconnected his back. He’s a quiet, humble guy.

“It’s conscionable devastating, you know?” helium continued. “I’m heartbroken.”

DNA from a bloody steering instrumentality airbag helped constabulary place Ferreira arsenic the driver, officials said. When cops opened the backmost of the U-Haul, they recovered a laptop computer, 3 cellphones, a forged U.S. Postal Service key, aggregate stolen recognition cards and a benefits paper successful Ferreira’s name.

Police learned that the cards were stolen from an flat connected Van Kleeck St. successful Elmhurst connected June 28, astir 2 months earlier the crash. On the aforesaid day, Ferreira and Sablan utilized the forged cardinal to unfastened up the locked mailboxes successful the gathering and bargain packages.

Police arrested Ferreira connected Tuesday aft a expansive assemblage indicted her.

She was ordered held without bail aft her arraignment. She’s expected to reply the charges successful tribunal adjacent month.