Qns. hit-run bust
SUV driver going 92 mph when he killed dad of 3: cops
A Queens driver accused of fleeing the scene of a fatal crash blew through a red light at triple the speed limit when he killed a hardworking dad, prosecutors claim.
David Garcia was going 92 mph in a 2019 black BMW when he allegedly blew the light and plowed into 56-yearold Sivananaintha “Siva” Perumal, who was trying to cross Woodhaven Blvd. at 91st Ave. in Woodhaven about 5 a.m. July 25, according to shocking court papers.
The speed limit on that stretch of Woodhaven Blvd. is 30 mph.
Perumal was on his way to work at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Howard Beach when he was mowed down in the crosswalk. He died at the scene as the driver fled.
“Triple the speed, it’s terrible. Nobody should be driving that fast,” said Amandeep Kaur, who worked with the victim at Dunkin’ Donuts. “It’s shocking …. Somebody lost his life because of that.”
Perumal was the sole breadwinner for his wife and three college-aged children in Tamil Nadu state in southern India, relatives said.
As cops hunted for the driver for two weeks, surveillance footage and witness statements helped them identify the car and 26-year-old Garcia as the driver, sources said.
Perumal lived about a block from where he was killed, and Garcia lives about half a mile away.
Cops finally nabbed Garcia on Tuesday. He was hit with a slew of charges including speeding, vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and leaving the scene of an accident. A Queens Criminal Court judge ordered him held on $100,000 bail during a brief arraignment appearance Tuesday night.
Perumal was planning to return to India later this year to attend his eldest daughter’s wedding, distraught co-workers told the Daily News Tuesday. Perumal worked at the Dunkin’ Donuts for 12 years and took new hires under his wing, colleagues said.
Perumal’s nephew Gnana Jegadish said his family is hoping that a judge throws the book at Garcia for killing their beloved relative.
“This is very, very bad,” Jegadish said. “He should get the maximum penalty for this so that others will learn from this.”