Staten Island Mother Dies After Hit-and-Run on Father’s Day
A mother from Staten Island was tragically struck in a hit-and-run incident on Father’s Day. Her family has made it clear that the reckless driver will face consequences for this “senseless” act.
Diana Rolon, 60, passed away Thursday—just four days after being hit by a speeding BMW driver around 4 p.m. in Staten Island, as indicated on a GoFundMe page set up by her loved ones.
Rolon was a single mother, marking her first Father’s Day since her own father’s passing. She was waiting to cross the street while attending a yard sale when the accident occurred.
According to police, the BMW, which didn’t have a license plate, was seen racing down Decker Street right before the crash near Catherine Street.
The driver fled the scene. Rolon, who recently celebrated her son Michael’s high school graduation, fought for her life in the hospital, undergoing emergency brain surgery.
“She was almost unrecognizable. That’s because of the speed of this animal,” a furious relative expressed to PIX11.
The family is outraged at the actions of the driver. Sylvia Rolon, Diana’s sister, stated, “He sped down the road for no reason. Even if he had a reason. Slow down. Life is precious, and you took my sister.” She labeled the driver’s behavior as “stupid.”
“You’re going to pay. You’re going to pay for what you did to my sister,” she reiterated.
Rolon’s niece, Emily Feliciano, called the driver a “coward,” emphasizing her family’s grief.
Tributes to Diana have been pouring in, as her family noted that she fought with “incredible strength” in her final days.
“Diana was a loving mother, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend whose kindness touched many lives,” Feliciano remarked on the crowdfunding page.
“Her son Michael is now starting a new chapter while dealing with the heartbreaking loss of his mother.”
In a related incident earlier that day, two women from New Jersey, Mariana Elizabeth Valverde Beltrán, 58, and Maria Isabel de Los Angeles Salgado Ayala, 61, were killed by another hit-and-run driver following a World Cup party. The perpetrator, David J. Zapata-Vera, 26, turned himself in to authorities on Tuesday and has been charged with two counts of second-degree vehicular homicide.
