The president of a California mortgage lender is accused of drunkenly speeding through a red light in her Land Rover and plowing into another vehicle, killing an 88-year-old passenger.
Serene Francie Rosenberg, 48, allegedly ran a red light and hit a Ford Transit van head-on in Dana Point — about 60 miles outside of downtown Los Angeles — on Friday at around 6:15 p.m., according to a news release by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Saturday.
The collision was so violent that it instantly killed the passenger of the van, Melvin Joseph Weibel, 88, a Dana Point resident.
The van’s driver was rushed to a local hospital with “serious but non-life-threatening injuries,” police said.
“Based on preliminary investigation, the Land Rover was traveling westbound on Stonehill Drive and turned left against a red arrow signal in front of the Ford Transit van traveling eastbound on Stonehill Drive,” the sheriff’s department revealed.
Rosenberg, the president of OCMBC’s LoanStream Mortgage in Irvine since 2019, was arrested on suspicion of murder and suspicion of driving under the influence at the scene.
She is currently booked into the Orange County Jail.
The department also revealed that she had “three prior convictions” before she allegedly drove drunk and killed the 88-year-old van passenger.
Following the fatal collision, OCMBC released a statement stating that Rosenberg had been placed on administrative leave and that the company had “permanently” replaced her as president. The former Chief Capital Markets Officer at LoanStream, John Hamel, has been chosen to replace her.
“This has been a difficult time for everyone affected by this tragic event, and our hearts go out to those impacted,” said Rabi Aziz, CEO of OCMBC.
The company expressed “its deepest sympathies following the tragic traffic accident” in the statement.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this heartbreaking event and we intend to monitor the situation closely, responding with care and responsibility in accordance with our company’s core values.”
Aziz founded OCMBC in 1992. The company is currently licensed to operate in 47 states in the US.
Police are asking anyone who witnessed the deadly traffic collision or has information about it to contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Traffic Bureau at 949-425-1860.
Anonymous information may be provided through Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.
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