Woman Drove 85 MPH In Alleged DWI Crash That Killed Bicyclist: DA

MONTAUK, NY —A Montauk woman was indicted Monday on charges of driving while intoxicated and killing a bicyclist in a crash, District Attorney Tim Sini said. She was driving with a blood alcohol content of more than two times the legal limit — and cocaine was found on a floorboard and near her vehicle, Sini added.

The crash took place at 6 p.m. on Oct. 30 when Lisa Rooney, 31, who was driving a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado northbound on Flamingo Avenue in Montauk, veered into the oncoming lane of traffic then overcorrected, driving onto the shoulder of the roadway on the northbound side and striking a bicyclist, Sini said.

The bicyclist, John James Usma Quintero, 28, of Montauk, was transported to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital where he was pronounced dead, Sini said.

Rooney refused a roadside breath test and refused to submit to a chemical test of her blood; the district attorney’s office secured a warrant for a chemical test of Rooney’s blood that revealed a blood alcohol content level of 0.18 percent — the legal limit is .08 percent — approximately three and one-half hours after the crash, Sini said.

A subsequent chemical test was performed on Rooney’s blood, drawn at a hospital at 10:50 p.m., which revealed a blood alcohol content level of 0.13 percent, Sini said. Police also recovered several bags of cocaine near Rooney’s vehicle and one bag of cocaine on the floorboard of her vehicle, Sini said. A forensic evaluation of Rooney’s vehicle revealed evidence that she was driving at a speed of 85 miles per hour at the time of the crash, Sini said.

Lisa Rooney, 31, was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, a felony; first degree vehicular manslaughter, a felony; second degree manslaughter, a felony; second degree assault, a violent felony; two counts of second degree vehicular manslaughter, a felony; aggravated driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor; two counts of driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor; seventh degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor; and reckless driving, a misdemeanor, Sini said.

Rooney was arraigned on the indictment Monday by Acting Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho and was released on the condition that she continues treatment in a rehabilitation program, Sini said. Upon completion of the program, she will be required to wear an alcohol monitoring bracelet, Sini said. Rooney’s license has been suspended and she surrendered her passport; she is due back in court on March 2, Sini said.

If convicted of the top count, Rooney faces a maximum sentence of eight and one-third to 25 years in prison, Sini said.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Carl Borelli, acting bureau chief of the vehicular crime bureau.

“Every single life that is lost because someone made the selfish, reckless decision to drive drunk is one too many,” Sini said. “This tragedy was entirely preventable. With this indictment, we will do everything in our power to hold this defendant accountable for her actions."

Rooney's mother is Queens Criminal Court Judge Bruna DiBiase; she reportedly worked at one time for Ron Perelman at his estate, according to the NY Post.