Jennifer Convertibles exec charged in Whitestone Expy. death

A top executive for the Woodbury-based furniture chain Jennifer Convertibles has told police he had been drinking Wednesday night before his car hit a man crossing the Whitestone Expressway on foot, a court complaint says. The guard died on the roadway.

Jennifer Convertibles chief executive Harley J. Greenfield was released without bail after being arraigned Thursday on a charge of driving while ability impaired by alcohol or drugs. It's a traffic violation. He didn't enter a plea.

The victim Mohammed Rohman, 45, a security guard for Summit Security at the MTA's College Point depot, was on his way to a Burger King during a meal break, the New York Daily News reported, quoting police. He leaves a wife and two children.

A court complaint says Greenfield, who lives on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, told a police officer he'd had a vodka drink and a glass of wine Wednesday before he felt his car hit something on the Whitestone Expressway.

Portfolio.com reported that police said Greenfield, 65, appeared to have slurred speech and glassy eyes and that he refused to take a Breathalyzer test.

Crains New York reported that Greenfield was on his way from the Jennifer Convertibles offices in Woodbury to his York Avenue and 88th Street home when the accident occurred.

Greenfield's lawyer and a spokesman for Jennifer Convertibles Inc. didn't immediately return calls Friday.