Harley Greenfield, the CEO of Jennifer Convertibles, drunkenly ran over an MTA security guard as he walked across the Whitestone Expressway last night around 10:45, police sources said. Greenfield refused to take a Breathalyzer (can't we just make this mandatory?) but law enforcement officials tell City Room he "had alcohol on his breath and red, watery eyes, and told officers he had consumed one vodka drink and a glass of wine." (According to the Post, he was given a portable Breathalyzer test at the scene, but later refused to take an official Breathalyzer test at the station house.) The victim, Mohammed Rohman, 45, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Greenfield reportedly told investigators, "I was in the left lane changing lanes, when I hit something, but I didn't know what I hit." Rohman, a Bangladeshi immigrant and father of two, was headed to Burger King on break between double shifts at an MTA bus depot. Through tears, his widow Rawshan Ara Begam told the Daily News, "[Greenfield] could have hired a car with all his money—why did he have to drive drunk? He should be punished. People should remember that there is a heaven and hell."
Family spokesman Mostafa Shafiq Housnine told the Post, "He is the only guy working in his family. How can they survive? It’s shocking. We need justice. This is not a subject of rich or poor, this is about justice." And to round out the heartbreak, Rohman's daughter, 12-year-old Marjana, said, "He was a great father. He taught us so much and gave us everything he had. All he wanted in life was for us to succeed."
Jennifer Convertibles had a total net loss of $13.3 million for the last two fiscal quarters combined, and last month stock in the publicly-traded company sank so low it was booted from the American Stock Exchange. Greenfield told police he was driving from the company's Long Island headquarters to his upper East Side high-rise; police were still awaiting the results of a blood alcohol test administered hours after the crash. He was released last night on his own recognizance, and at his arraignment a Daily News reporter observed bloodstains on the back of the neck, sleeve and shoulder.
