Metro

Woman in stolen car busted for striking 6, including 2 toddlers, in NYC: cops

By
Social Links for Tina Moore and
Social Links for Amanda Woods
Published March 16, 2023
Updated March 21, 2023, 6:23 p.m. ET

A woman was arrested for allegedly careening a stolen car onto the sidewalk outside an Upper Manhattan funeral home Wednesday evening — striking six people, including two 3-year-old girls — and trying to pass the blame onto an innocent woman, cops said.

Sharon Godwin, 32, of Peekskill, lost control of the black Honda Accord — which she allegedly had swiped in Yonkers — just after 6 p.m. at West 190th Street and Broadway in Fort George.

The vehicle jumped the curb and struck the toddlers and four adults outside R.G. Ortiz Funeral Home, authorities said.

The little girls suffered bloody noses and bruises to their faces, and were taken to Cohen Children’s Medical Center, police said.

Two women and one man suffered neck and back pain and were transported to the same hospital.

Another woman was taken to Mount Sinai Morningside with a broken leg, cops said.

Police at the scene of where Peekskill woman Deanna Cimaglia allegedly lost control of her car and struck six people in Fort George, Manhattan on March 15, 2023.
Police at the scene where Peekskill woman Sharon Godwin allegedly lost control of a car and struck six people in Fort George on March 15, 2023. Citizen

Everyone was listed in stable condition, authorities said.

Godwin initially fled, but returned and was taken into custody, cops said.

But when she returned, Godwin allegedly provided cops with a stolen identification, which led to police charging another 34-year-old from Peekskill, NY, Deanna Cimaglia, according to police.

Godwin was later identified as the woman in police custody after a match came back on her fingerprints in the New York State database, according to cops.

The charges were then voided against the innocent woman Cimaglia who had nothing to do with the accident but that her stolen ID was used by Godwin.

Cops charged Godwin with criminal possession of stolen property and aggravated unlicensed operator — because of a suspended license — as well as a violation for driving without a license.

Investigators believe Godwin had been drinking prior to the crash, but she ultimately did not face a drunk driving charge, cops said.

A previous version of the article identified Deanna Cimaglia as the person arrested in connection with this incident based on information provided by police due to the fraudulent identification that Godwin provided. Cimaglia has nothing to do with the incident.  

Additional reporting by Craig McCarthy