Bronx Driver Pleads Guilty in Fatal Whitestone Expressway Crash
Prosecutors said Melissa Rodriguez-Lopez was racing at 123 mph when she hit an Uber from behind on the Whitestone Expressway, a May 27, 2023 crash that city records show killed a 62-year-old passenger and injured another motorist.
What We Know
Prosecutors said Melissa Rodriguez-Lopez was racing north on the Whitestone Expressway at about 123 mph on May 27, 2023, when she hit the rear of a Toyota Corolla operating as an Uber. Steven Spaulding, 62, a Brooklyn passenger in the ride-share car, suffered spinal injuries and later died after a stroke. City crash data records one motorist killed and one motorist injured in the crash, with unsafe speed listed as a contributing factor. Rodriguez-Lopez pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree and assault in the first degree, and prosecutors said she left the scene and later reported her Lexus stolen.
Prosecutors described racing at 123 mph before the rear-end crash
The Queens district attorney said Rodriguez-Lopez was driving a black 2015 Lexus RC350 northbound on the Whitestone Expressway with a passenger while racing with other drivers. Near the Whitestone Bridge and Cross Island Parkway, prosecutors said, she hit the rear of a Toyota Corolla operating as an Uber and carrying Steven Spaulding.
City crash records list the crash at 3:38 a.m. on May 27, 2023, on the Whitestone Expressway. The record lists unsafe speed as a contributing factor and records one motorist killed and one motorist injured.
An Uber passenger died after severe spinal injuries
Steven Spaulding, 62, of Brooklyn, was riding in the Toyota Corolla when the crash happened. Prosecutors said he sustained extensive spinal injuries and suffered a fatal stroke due to those injuries; the Bronx Times reported that he died on June 10, 2023, after emergency surgery.
The Bronx Times identified the Uber driver as Manishanker Roy, 43, and reported that he and Spaulding were taken to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital in Flushing. Prosecutors said the driver sustained significant injuries to his neck and body.
The Bronx Times reported that Marisol Cruz was a passenger in Rodriguez-Lopez's car and sustained injuries to her lower leg and knee.
The city record and prosecutors identified the cars involved
The official crash record lists two sedans traveling north and going straight ahead before impact: a 2020 Toyota and a 2015 Lexus. Prosecutors identified Rodriguez-Lopez's car as a black 2015 Lexus RC350 with personalized plates and identified the Toyota as a Corolla being used for Uber service.
The official vehicle record lists center front-end damage to the Lexus and center rear-end damage to the Toyota. Prosecutors said the force of the collision caused extensive damage to both cars and deployed Rodriguez-Lopez's airbags.
Investigators used vehicle data to support the speed allegation
Prosecutors said vehicle data from the Lexus showed Rodriguez-Lopez was traveling about 123 mph at the time of the crash. The city vehicle record also lists unsafe speed and unsafe lane changing for the Lexus driver.
Rodriguez-Lopez pleaded guilty to manslaughter and assault
Rodriguez-Lopez, 29, of the Bronx, pleaded guilty in Queens Supreme Court to manslaughter in the first degree and assault in the first degree. The Queens district attorney said Justice Michael Aloise indicated he would sentence her on Jan. 28 to 18 years in prison.
Prosecutors said Rodriguez-Lopez left the crash scene in another racer's vehicle, did not identify herself to the Uber driver, and did not notify police at the time. They said she later went to the NYPD 52nd Precinct in the Bronx and reported that her Lexus had been stolen.
Where
Whitestone Expy