A heartless hit-and-run U-Haul driver accused of fatally plowing into a pedestrian near Queens College over the summer was apprehended this week. Jamie Ferreira, 37, was arrested and charged with manslaughter, assault, burglary, and other crimes related to the August 20 crash that claimed the life of 56-year-old pedestrian David Opiela.
The reckless driver allegedly sped down the Horace Harding Expressway, striking Opiela before crashing into a light pole and another motorist. Ferreira then abandoned the vehicle, leaving behind stolen credit cards, a checkbook, a laptop, and other incriminating evidence. The passenger, Jennifer Sablan, 43, also fled the scene with Ferreira.
The investigation uncovered that the U-Haul truck was rented under a fake name. Inside the vehicle, authorities found stolen credit cards, a forged postal service key, and notebooks containing personal information of Elmhurst residents who were victims of a burglary committed by Ferreira months earlier.
Ferreira allegedly used the stolen postal service key to pilfer packages and envelopes from residents’ locked mailboxes at an apartment building in Elmhurst. Prosecutors also revealed that Ferreira’s DNA was found on the U-Haul’s airbag, leading to her arrest with the assistance of the NYPD, Postal Inspection Service, and Secret Service.
Sablan, charged with various offenses including possession of stolen property and unlawful possession of personal identification information, was granted bail at $30,000 cash, while Ferreira was ordered to be held without bail by a Queens judge.
Opiela’s family described him as being “in the prime of his life” and set up a GoFundMe page to cover his funeral expenses. They expressed their anguish over the callous actions of the U-Haul driver and passenger, who heartlessly fled the scene, leaving Opiela to die in the street.
The investigation into the hit-and-run crash continues, with both Ferreira and Sablan facing serious charges for their alleged involvement in not only the fatal accident but also other criminal activities.
