Photo Courtesy of Google
Thompson was driving a BMW eastbound on Rockaway Boulevard. He was going in excess of 90 miles per hour as he approached Brookville Boulevard.
By Forum Staff
A Far Rockaway man has been sentenced to up to 17 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide charges.
Nicholas Thompson, 36, hit speeds up to 97 mph while driving drunk. A 32-year-old woman riding with Thompson was killed when the car crashed through a metal fence and into a grove of trees in Far Rockaway in September 2020, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Thursday.
Thompson pleaded guilty last month to aggravated vehicular homicide before Queens Supreme Court Justice Gene Lopez. Earlier Thursday, Lopez ordered Thompson to serve 8 1⁄2 to 17 years in prison.
Katz said that around 6:45 p.m. on Sept. 26, 2020, Thompson was driving a BMW eastbound on Rockaway Boulevard. Thompson was going in excess of 90 miles per hour as he approached
File Photo
“This selfish act of driving while drunk puts everyone on the road at risk,” DA Katz said.
Brookville Boulevard. Moments later, Thompson lost control of the automobile. He veered off the road at 97 miles per hour and crashed through a metal fence, drove through a field and hit a thicket of trees at a speed of 74 miles per hour.
When police arrived at the scene, Thompson was outside of the car and informed the responding officers that his passenger was still inside the BMW. Jolenna Favor had severe head and body trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The DA said police at the scene noticed Thompson exhibiting signs of intoxication. He had bloodshot, watery eyes, slurred speech and smelled of alcohol. Thompson refused to submit to a chemical test to determine his blood alcohol level. However, a court-ordered blood test showed Thompson’s blood alcohol content was almost twice the legal limit of .08. In the course of their investigation, police also determined the defendant’s driver’s license had previously been revoked based on multiple prior convictions for driving while intoxicated in Pennsylvania in March 2015.
“The defendant was both intoxicated and speeding—a deadly combination—when he crashed through a fence and slammed into a tree, killing his passenger,” Katz said. “This selfish act of driving while drunk puts everyone on the road at risk. The sentence imposed by the court today punishes the defendant for the needless death of this woman.”
