Rachel Lodice, a 22-year-old woman from Georgia, pleaded guilty to multiple charges stemming from a fatal crash in Massapequa while driving under the influence of marijuana, Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced. The incident occurred in April 2024 and resulted in the death of 64-year-old Cynthia Mitchell and injuries to another passenger.
Lodice entered her plea in Nassau County Court before Judge Tammy Robbins, admitting guilt to Manslaughter in the Second Degree (a C felony), Assault in the Second Degree (a D violent felony), Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree (a D felony), Leaving the Scene of a Fatality without Reporting (a D felony), Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (a D felony), Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs (an unclassified misdemeanor), and Assault in the Third Degree (a class A misdemeanor). She is expected to be sentenced on July 21, 2025, to 3⅓ to 10 years in prison. Prosecutors recommended a sentence of 7 to 15 years.
According to the DA, on April 23, 2024, at around 6:30 p.m., Lodice left a Target store in Hicksville driving a 2023 Kia Rio. She drove south on Newbridge Road and later entered a Walgreens parking lot briefly before pulling out onto Hicksville Road and speeding erratically. Witnesses and investigators noted that Lodice drove over medians, passed on the wrong side of the road, and ran several red lights during her six-mile drive.
At approximately 6:45 p.m., Lodice ran a red light at the intersection of Hicksville Road and Sunrise Highway and crashed into a 2022 Nissan Altima. The Altima, driven by Cynthia Mitchell and carrying a passenger, was struck on its side in a T-bone collision. Mitchell sustained extensive injuries and was transported to Nassau University Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. Her passenger was also hospitalized with multiple injuries, including broken ribs and a lacerated spleen.
Data retrieved from Lodice’s vehicle showed she was traveling at approximately 76 miles per hour just five seconds before the collision, more than double the posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour.
After the crash, a Town of Oyster Bay Public Safety Officer who witnessed the incident stopped to assist. While the officer tended to the victims, Lodice entered the officer’s vehicle and drove off. She fled eastbound on Sunrise Highway for several miles until she reached Neptune Avenue in Seaford, a dead-end street. The public safety vehicle’s GPS and remote engine “kill switch” were activated, disabling the vehicle and allowing Nassau County Police to take Lodice into custody.
District Attorney Donnelly condemned Lodice’s reckless behavior, stating that her actions caused irreversible damage to the victims and their families. “Those reckless decisions led to a tragic outcome when the defendant slammed into Cynthia Mitchell’s vehicle, killing her, and injuring her friend who was also in the car,” Donnelly said. “Today’s guilty plea cannot undo the pain Cynthia’s family will forever endure, but it’s a step toward justice.”
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Bureau Chief Alexander DePalo of the Vehicular Crimes Bureau, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Michael Bushwack and Executive Assistant District Attorney for the Litigation Division Kevin Higgins. Lodice is represented by Jenna Spelke, Esq.
