A Brooklyn teen accused of texting while driving was hit with a criminally negligent homicide charge yesterday for mowing down a Chinese-food deliveryman on his scooter.
Prosecutors announced in court that Nechama Rothenberger, 19, had been indicted in the Sept. 19 crash that killed Tian Sheng Lin, a 53-year-old restaurant owner and deliveryman who was stopped at a red light near East 17th Street and Avenue P in Midwood.
The father of three was declared brain dead shortly after the crash.
At the arraignment in September, prosecutors said that cops found Rothenberger's LG VX9200 cellphone in her 2005 Toyota Camry with a half-written outgoing message.
Cops said that the accident was reported at 11:17 p.m. and that Rothenberger had retrieved a text message at 11:15 p.m.
Rothenberger told cops that she did not see Lin's Honda scooter, the original criminal complaint said.
The hood and bumper of her car were damaged, and the windshield was shattered, according to court papers.
Rothenberger's lawyer Jeffrey Schwartz called the crash "a tragic turn of events. We're hoping to resolve this case in a way that doesn't destroy her future."
But Lin's family said their future had already been destroyed.
His son, Jie Lin, said the family has had to sell Lin's restaurant and now has no source of income.
"It feels like a nightmare, but my family has to face the facts that it's a reality," Jie Lin said. "I hope her life will be miserable. My life is miserable."
But, he added, "if she gets jail for life, it doesn't bring my dad back."
Lin's widow, Zhang Xiu Ying, said her husband was a selfless man who came from China to make a better life for himself and his family, only to have his dream destroyed by Rothenberger's "stupid actions."
"I want justice for everybody. I want the woman to see jail time," Ying said. "I hope she gets the toughest penalty. I'm angry at the girl."
Rothenberger faces up to four years in prison if convicted.
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