Police Charge Man After Fatal Decker Avenue Hit-and-Run
Police said a driver in a white BMW SUV hit Diana Rolon, 60, on Decker Avenue in Port Richmond and left; weeks later, police charged Bruce Arneaud with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.
Reported by press, not yet linked to NYC police crash records. This may change when new official records become available or when matching details are reviewed.
Location under review
What We Know
Diana Rolon, 60, was at a yard sale near her Port Richmond home on Father's Day when police said a driver in a white BMW SUV hit her on Decker Avenue and left the scene toward Post Avenue. Relatives said she had gone to get cash for the sale; press accounts differ on whether she was waiting to cross back or moving back toward her car. Rolon suffered severe head and bone injuries, underwent emergency brain surgery at Richmond University Medical Center and later died after doctors declared her brain dead. On July 9, police arrested Bruce Arneaud, 28, and charged him with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death; he pleaded not guilty and was released without bail.
A Father's Day yard sale turned into a fatal hit-and-run
Police said a driver in a white BMW SUV heading south on Decker Avenue hit Diana Rolon at about 4:18 p.m. on June 21, 2026, then left the scene toward Post Avenue in Port Richmond.
Relatives gave different details about Rolon's movement before the crash. ABC7 reported she had crossed Decker Avenue to get cash from her car and was standing in front of a double-parked car waiting to cross again. The Daily News later quoted a niece saying Rolon was dashing back to her car to get cash for picture frames she wanted for her son's graduation party.
The crash happened on a residential stretch of Decker Avenue
Reports placed the crash on Decker Avenue in Port Richmond, with the New York Post describing the location as near Catherine Street and the Daily News saying the driver left toward Post Avenue. ABC7 described the block as a typical Staten Island residential street in Rolon's neighborhood.
Rolon's family called for longer-term traffic calming after the crash, including speed bumps. ABC7 reported that a speed camera was located a few blocks away.
Diana Rolon was remembered as a mother and school paraprofessional
Rolon was 60 and worked as a school paraprofessional at PS 373R in Tompkinsville, according to the Daily News. Family members described her as a loving mother, sister and aunt, and said her son Michael had just graduated from Michael J. Petrides High School.
A nurse, Fran McCarthy, told ABC7 she heard the impact, ran over and gave Rolon first aid.
Rolon died after emergency treatment
Rolon suffered an intracranial hemorrhage and fractures to her right arm, left leg and face, according to family accounts cited by the Daily News. She was intubated, taken to Richmond University Medical Center in critical condition and underwent emergency brain surgery.
Doctors declared Rolon brain dead, and she died at the hospital. Relatives told the Daily News that her son spent days at her bedside instead of celebrating his graduation.
Police later made an arrest in the hit-and-run case
Police arrested Bruce Arneaud, 28, on July 9 and charged him with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, the Daily News reported. He pleaded not guilty at arraignment and was released without bail.
ABC7 reported that a nearby home security camera showed the white BMW seconds before the crash, and relatives described the driver as speeding.