Diana Rolon, a 60-year-old Staten Island resident, died on Thursday from injuries sustained four days earlier in a hit-and-run incident that occurred on Father's Day. Rolon was struck by a speeding BMW driver on Decker Avenue near Catherine Street around 4 p.m. on Sunday.
According to family members, Rolon was attending a yard sale and waiting to cross the street when the collision occurred. The BMW, which reportedly had no license plates, was seen speeding down the avenue moments before striking Rolon. The driver fled the scene without stopping.
Rolon was taken to a hospital where she underwent emergency brain surgery. Her family described her injuries as severe, with one relative telling PIX11 that she was "almost unrecognizable" due to the speed of the vehicle. Rolon had recently celebrated her son Michael's high school graduation.
Family members have expressed outrage and grief over the incident. "Speeding down the street for no reason. Even if he had a reason. Slow down. Life is precious, and you took my sister," said Sylvia Rolon, Diana's sister, calling the driver's actions "senseless." Another relative stated, "You are going to pay. You are going to pay for what you did to my sister." Rolon's niece, Emily Feliciano, referred to the driver as a "coward."
A crowdfunding page established by the family described Rolon as a "loving mother, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend whose kindness touched so many lives." The page noted that her son, Michael, is now facing the loss of his mother as he begins a new chapter in his life.
In an unrelated incident that occurred hours before Rolon's accident, two women in New Jersey were killed in a hit-and-run after a World Cup watch party. David J. Zapata-Vera, 26, surrendered to authorities in that case and has been charged with two counts of second-degree vehicular homicide.