WHITE PLAINS, NY (July 24, 2022) — Gillian Getlan, 25, of New Rochelle, NY, appeared before Supreme Court Justice Alexandra D. Murphy in Westchester County Criminal Court Wednesday and pleaded guilty to Leaving the Scene of an Accident without Reporting – Results in Physical Injury, a misdemeanor, and Leaving the Scene of an Accident Without Reporting – Property Damage, a violation.
Getlan is scheduled to be sentenced on January 28, 2023.
Getlan was charged in December with Felony Leaving the Scene of an Incident, Resulting in Serious Physical Injury, Without Reporting, and was facing 1 1/3 to 3 years in prison if convicted on the Felony count.
The victim, Geraldine Sinceno, 72, a registered nurse and also a New Rochelle resident, suffered multiple injuries after Getlan struck her with her car, sending the elderly woman flying in the air and onto the pavement, according to witnesses.
In the criminal complaint, police said Sinceno suffered multiple fractures of the leg requiring a level 2 trauma medical and surgery, along with “protracted impairment of health”. She was transported from the scene by paramedics to the Trauma Unit at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, where she underwent surgery. She was later transferred to United Hebrew of New Rochelle, where she remained for months, undergoing physical therapy.
Sinceno has been a Registered Nurse for 45 years, most recently working in hospice care for the Visiting Nurse of New York.
The incident occurred on October 19th at 5:19 p.m. at a crosswalk on North Avenue between Coligini Avenue and Fifth Avenue, near the Salvation Army store, not far from New Rochelle City Hall.
Sinceno told police she was crossing North Avenue eastbound towards Fifth Avenue when she was struck by a vehicle. She stated that she was in the crosswalk and had the cross signal when she was struck.
Police located a 2013 Subaru driven by Getlan in front of 33 Lincoln Street, about 4 blocks away. Getlan was behind the wheel, cornered by multiple vehicles driven by concerned citizens who saw the collision, pursued the driver and held her until police arrived.
One witness, Tanya Ragland told police “I saw a dark color car making a left turn towards the lady walking in the crosswalk. The car hit the lady and the lady walking went up in the air and fell. I followed the lady driving because the driver did not stop after she had hit the lady walking. Me and a few other people caught up to the car on Lincoln Avenue, where we used our cars to block her in until the police came. The police came and started to talk to the driver of the car who hit the pedestrian. The police were talking to the same lady who I saw hit the pedestrian in the crosswalk.”
Getlan told police, implausibly, that the sun was in her eyes when “she felt her vehicle hit something but did not know what it was” but admitted that she saw she had hit a person in her rearview mirror. She said she got nervous and did not know where to pull over, so she continued to drive.
Getlan was charged at the scene with New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 600(2) A — failure to show license and insurance — and given a desk appearance ticket.
The Sinceno family has raised concerns from the outset that Gillian Getlan was getting special treatment because her father, Michael Getlan, the owner of the 2013 Subaru, is an executive with Amusement Consultants Ltd. and New Roc Entertainment LLC.
Two months after the incident, Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah announced the charges would be upgraded.
On October 19, 2021, at approximately 5:37 p.m., Getlan was driving her car near North Avenue and 5th Avenue in New Rochelle when she hit a pedestrian with her vehicle and fled the scene. The victim was transported to the hospital, where she underwent surgery after sustaining multiple fractures to the leg.
Getlan was initially charged with Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting, and issued a Desk Appearance Ticket, as is required under the New York State Criminal Procedure Law. After receiving medical records, the charge was elevated because of the extent of the injuries the victim sustained.
Getlan is scheduled to appear again in New Rochelle City Court on December 23, 2021.
On December 29, 2021, Getlan was arraigned before Judge Matthew J. Costa in New Rochelle City Court and pleaded not guilty to one criminal count of Leaving the Scene of an Incident, Resulting in Serious Physical Injury, Without Reporting, an E Felony. The two traffic tickets were withdrawn, superseded by the Felony complaint.
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