Pomona woman sentenced 1 to 3 years for leaving the scene of deadly accident in 2024
Rosana Dipaola will serve one to three years in state prison for charges following a deadly hit-and-run in January 2024 that killed Daniel DeSerio, a well-known window washer in Nyack and Piermont.
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Rosana Dipaola, 26, will serve one to three years in state prison for charges following a deadly hit-and-run in January 2024 that killed Daniel DeSerio, a well-known window washer in Nyack and Piermont.
In February, the Pomona woman pleaded guilty to charges including leaving the scene of an accident and driving with a revoked license.
The Rockland District Attorney's Office says DeSerio was hit by her car and another on Thiells Mount Ivy Road that morning. Then, she fled without reporting it.
Moments before Dipaola learned her fate on Tuesday, she spoke before the court and downplayed her responsibility.
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"I feel bad that somebody lost their life. I don't think putting me away does any justice for the family because I did not kill that man," she said.
Judge Djinsad Desir sentenced her to one to three years in state prison.
"This was not an accident. It was a series of choices that you made. This sentence is not about whether you were the first driver to strike Mr. DeSerio. It is about your conduct afterward. Your decision to flee and your willful violation of court conditions," said Judge Desir.
The prosecution was looking for a longer sentence of 2 1/3 to seven years.
"Leaving the scene of an accident is intolerable conduct," said Rockland District Attorney Thomas Walsh. "People need to be held accountable and we need to make sure that people on our streets in Rockland county are safe."
Sam Coe, Dipaola's attorney, reiterated in court that she did not plead guilty to causing the accident or the victim's death.
