A 32 year-old woman died in a car accident in New York on Saturday. Jolenna Favor who lives in Far Rockaway was a passenger in a BMW driven by 35 year old Nicholas Thompson. Thompson was not supposed to be on the road driving the car as his license was previously revoked in 2011 following several drunk driving arrests. He was arrested a first time in Queens in 2008, then in Nassau County in 2011 when his license was taken away from him. He was caught drunk driving again in 2015 despite his license being revoked.
On Saturday a little bit before 7 pm, Thompson was drunk driving again. He was speeding down Rockaway Boulevard near Nassau County Boulevard with his friend Jolenna Favor in the passenger seat. At one point, just before the accident, an unmarked NYPD car had to swerve to avoid him then he lost control of his car and crashed into a fence in the middle of the trees.
When EMS arrived they found Jolenna dead in the passenger seat. She died from severe head and body trauma. Thompson survived. The two undercover cops that he almost hit saw him getting out of his car and alleged that his breath smelled of alcohol and that his eyes were bloodshot and watery. He refused a blood test but admitted that he was drunk driving.
Thompson was charged with driving while intoxicated as a repeat offender, vehicular manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide. If convicted at trial he might have to go to prison for 25 years.
“As a result of this defendant’s alleged criminal behavior, a woman’s life has been tragically cut short,” Queens D.A. Melinda Katz said. “From the moment the defendant allegedly got behind the wheel of the car, intoxicated and with a revoked license, he was breaking the law and endangering the lives of everyone on the road. He will be held accountable for his alleged actions to the fullest extent of the law.”