You are reading

Hit-and-Run Driver Who Fatally Killed Pedestrian on Woodhaven Boulevard Gets up to 10 Years Prison

Aug. 9, 2021 By Christian Murray

A 29-year-old hit-and-run driver who killed a pedestrian while speeding along Woodhaven Boulevard has been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

David Garcia, of Ozone Park, was sentenced Thursday for killing Sivananaintha Perumal, 56, when he plowed into him at the intersection of Woodhaven Boulevard and 91st Avenue while speeding in his 2019 Black BMW.

“The defendant’s blatant disregard of the rules of the road resulted in a family’s tragic loss of a hardworking husband and father,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz in a statement Thursday. “The sentence imposed today by the court brings a measure of justice and punishes this defendant for his selfish choices while driving on the streets of Queens.”

Garcia struck Perumal at around 5 a.m. on July 25, 2019 while speeding on Woodhaven Boulevard. He was driving at speeds as high as 92 mph prior to hitting the victim as the light turned red at the 91st Avenue intersection.

Garcia fled the scene but was nabbed by police two weeks later.

Perumal was struck while crossing Woodhaven Boulevard on his way to his job at Dunkin’ Donuts. He was declared dead at the scene.

Garcia pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the second degree on May 20. He was sentenced last week to the indeterminate term of 3 1/3 to 10 years in prison.

Sivananaintha Perumal, pictured here, was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Woodhaven at about 5 a.m. July 25, 2019. David Garcia, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in May, was sentenced last week to the indeterminate term of 3 1/3 to 10 years in prison. (GoFundMe)

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Queens man sentenced to 7 years in prison for 2021 attempted kidnapping in Richmond Hill: DA

A Fresh Meadows man was sentenced to seven years in prison for attempting to kidnap a 5-year-old boy in Richmond Hill in July 2021, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Tuesday.

James McGonagle, 27, of Parsons Boulevard, pleaded guilty in Queens Supreme Court in November to attempted kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child for grabbing the child off a sidewalk before his mother and siblings thwarted the abduction.

Lawmakers secure federal funding to combat flooding in Queens after impact of Hurricane Ida and other storms

U.S. Congresswomen Grace Meng and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, announced on Jan. 7 that President Joe Biden has signed their legislation into law to address severe flooding in Queens.

The measure aims to mitigate future disasters like those caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida in September 2021, which inundated the borough with record-shattering rainfall.

Op-ed | New York’s ground lease co-ops: Our families can’t wait any longer 

Jan. 14, 2025 By Michael Tang 

Last December brought a long-awaited victory for New York City. Our City Council adopted the historic City of Yes housing plan, paving the way for more than 80,000 new homes by 2040 with the promise of affordability. As a longtime resident of Flushing, Queens, I naturally welcomed the news – it’s a much-needed reprieve for New Yorkers as housing costs continue to soar in the midst of an unparalleled housing crisis. But entering 2025 on the heels of this win, we residents at  Murray Hill Cooperative remain at risk — our lives are virtually unchanged because we belong to the last class of unprotected “tenants” as ground lease co-op residents. Without legislative action, more than 25,000 New Yorkers face the threat of losing their homes — homes that we own — to landowners seeking to raise our ground rent to astronomical rates.