The woman whose Acura Legend was involved in a Brooklyn hit-and-run that injured two women—one seriously—spoke at a press conference yesterday, emphatically stating that she was not the driver. Cindy Jasmin said, "I am the owner of the vehicle involved in the accident. My sister was the driver of the car involved in the accident."
The incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. Erinn Phelan and Alma Guerrero were crossing at Flatbush and Prospect Place when the Acura—which some witnesses said was speeding—struck them. The car was abandoned a few blocks away and traced back to Jasmin. Jasmin, 31, told police that her sister Frances had been driving and was so distraught that she had to be checked into a hospital. But the Daily News reports, "Police are investigating Cindy Jasmin's story but investigative sources have told the Daily News they're still skeptical." Police are also looking at whether DNA from some blood found in the car can help identify the driver.
Cindy Jasmin said that neither she nor her sister were in the surveillance video released by police (a woman told a livery car service she was in an accident shortly after the crash). Her lawyer, Adam Thompson, who represents both sisters, says Frances Jasmin will speak to cops when she's "fully better... She's obviously scared. She panicked. She didn't know what to do. But, to make it clear, this does not make her some evil heinous monster who intended to hit someone." Guerrero has a broken collarbone while Phelan is in a coma with serious brain injuries.
