Furniture chain CEO charged with driving while impaired in NYC accident that killed pedestrian

Furniture chain CEO charged in NYC road collision

NEW YORK — A furniture-chain CEO drank vodka and wine before driving into a security guard who was crossing a highway on foot and died on the roadway, authorities said.

Jennifer Convertibles CEO Harley J. Greenfield told investigators he felt his car hit something — but didn’t know what — as he shifted lanes on the Whitestone Expressway in Queens on Wednesday night, prosecutors said.

Greenfield, 65, was released without bail after his arraignment Thursday on a charge of driving while his ability was impaired by alcohol. It’s a traffic violation.

He didn’t enter a plea, and his lawyer and a company spokesman didn’t immediately return calls Friday.

Meanwhile, friends of the security guard, Mohammed Rohman, worked to gather money to help his family pay for his funeral, friend Paul Kahn said.

Rohman, 45, was killed while running out to grab a meal before starting the second half of a double shift guarding a bus depot, Kahn said. Originally from Dinajpur, Bangladesh, Rohman came to the United States in 1994 and supported a wife and two daughters, 6 and 12, Kahn said.

“Not only one guy died here. The family dream died here,” he said.

Greenfield, who identified himself in court as a Jennifer Convertibles executive, told a police officer he’d had a vodka drink and a glass of wine before the accident, according to a court complaint.

A roadside breath test indicated Greenfield had been drinking but didn’t meet the legal limit for the more serious charge of driving while intoxicated, the complaint said. Results of a later blood test aren’t yet in, according to the complaint.

Known for its sofa beds and leather couches, Woodbury, N.Y.-based Jennifer Convertibles Inc. has more than 150 stores, mainly on the East Coast.

The company has struggled in recent years, due to the recession and other factors. Its stock was suspended last month from trading on the American Stock Exchange because of the company’s losses. The stock now trades on the over-the-counter bulletin board, an electronic quotation service.