Photo Courtesy of Flickr/Raymond Yu
Smith was allegedly driving southbound on the Van Wyck Expressway near Rockaway Boulevard at an unsafe speed when he crashed into the rear of the victim’s vehicle.
By Forum Staff
An officer with the City Police Department has been charged with vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and other crimes for a recent deadly early morning crash on the Van Wyck Expressway in South Ozone Park, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.
Vanessa Raghubar, the 22-year-old driver of the car allegedly hit by the off-duty officer on April 23, succumbed to her injuries in Jamaica Hospital Medical Center the following day. Two other people were also injured in the rear-ended vehicle.
Neville Smith, 32, of the Bronx, was arraigned last Wednesday at a borough hospital on a criminal complaint charging him with first-degree vehicular assault, second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, third-degree assault and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Bail was set at $300,000 bond or $250,000 cash, and Smith has been ordered to return to court on May 11.
According to the charges, shortly after 4 a.m. that Sunday, Smith was allegedly driving southbound on the Van Wyck Expressway near Rockaway Boulevard at an unsafe speed when he crashed into the rear of a Honda Accord being driven by Raghubar. As a result of the impact, the victim’s car careened out of control and struck a light pole on the right shoulder. Raghubar died on Monday at JHMC.
The two passengers in Raghubar’s car were also injured, Brown noted. The driver’s sister, Maria Raghubar, 21, was taken to the hospital with a fractured left arm, a fractured hip, and trauma to her internal organs. The third passenger, Justin Harriharran, 20, sustained numerous cuts and abrasions as well as a concussion.
According to the charges, law enforcement allegedly observed Smith to be intoxicated. It is alleged that Smith had bloodshot, watery eyes, slurred speech and emitted a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. The defendant refused to submit to a breathalyzer and a court order was signed by a judge authorizing the hospital to draw Smith’s blood for analysis.
“Drinking and then driving is a deadly combination,” Brown added. “The defendant – a police officer bound to enforce the law – is now accused of breaking the law and with deadly consequences. An innocent woman, just 22 years old, is dead. The others in the vehicle with her were also injured.”
If convicted of all charges, Smith faces a maximum of seven years in prison.
