22-07-2025
Who is Autumn Donna Ascencio Romero? Chilling details revealed in NYC crash that killed 2 as driver is held without bail
New details are emerging about Autumn Donna Ascencio Romero, the 23-year-old woman accused of killing two people in a high-speed crash near the Manhattan Bridge in Chinatown, according to Daily News report. Romero is charged with two counts of murder and several other felonies after police say she was behind the wheel of a stolen Chevy Malibu that slammed into 63-year-old May Kwok and 55-year-old bicyclist Kevin Cruickshank early Saturday morning. Romero is charged with two counts of murder and several other felonies after she was behind the wheel of a stolen Chevy Malibu that slammed into 63-year-old May Kwok and 55-year-old bicyclist Kevin Cruickshank.(Unspalsh)
Also Read: San Antonio crash: 4 dead, 18 injured in fatal highway crash, armed suspect on the loose
Who Autumn Donna Ascencio Romero and is she involved in any other case?
Prosecutors say Romero admitted she had 'a few drinks' before the crash and was driving the car. She refused to take a breathalyzer or blood test at the hospital but acknowledged being the driver. Police say they found an open tequila bottle and a cup of alcohol in the car. Two loaded pistols and a box of ammunition were also discovered in a box in the trunk.
Romero and 22-year-old Kennedy Lecraft, allegedly attempted to escape on foot after the crash. Witnesses reported seeing the two exit the mangled vehicle and sit mere feet away from one of the victims' bodies, before attempting to hail a cab. Witnesses stopped the pair and held them in the area until cops arrived.
Lecraft, who rented the Malibu from Enterprise and did not return the vehicle, will face charges of criminal possession of a weapon, possession of stolen property, and unauthorized use of a vehicle. She was arraigned on Monday and is being held at Rikers on bail of $300,000.
Romero appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday. Prosecutors noted she was already facing charges in Brooklyn for a separate hit-and-run incident in April, where she allegedly hit a woman exiting an Uber without a valid license.
Romero's lawyer, Howard Greenberg, said she is a nursing student and blamed the crash on Lecraft. He claimed Lecraft may have grabbed the steering wheel before impact and even apologized afterward, saying she caused the crash.
Judge Michelle Weber ordered Romero held without bail. She is due back in court Thursday.
