Racing teen responsible for Cary man's death, family says

The family of a Cary man who was killed in a crash last month says they believe illegal street racing was to blame for his death.

Posted 5:20 p.m. Aug 18, 2021 — Updated 4:29 p.m. Sep 17, 2021

Amanda Lamb

, WRAL reporter

CARY, N.C. — The family of a Cary man who was killed in a crash last month says they believe illegal street racing was to blame for his death.

Armin Roshdi, 49, was headed home on Morrisville Parkway from his job at a local Target store on July 1 when a driver sped through a stop sign at Creek Park Drive and slammed into the side of Roshdi's car, according to a police report. The collision shoved Roshdi's car into a brick sign for a nearby subdivision, and the car's engine burst into flames.

When Roshdi didn't arrive home that night, his wife and daughter went to look for him and came upon the crash scene. Shaya Ghasemmi said she asked a police officer if her husband was involved.

"He said, you need to go to Duke [University] Hospital,'" Ghasemmi said Wednesday.

Her husband was already dead.

"I'm trying to take it day by day. It's not easy," she said.

The couple had emigrated from Iran for a better life and a better education for their daughter, and Roshdi worked two jobs to support that dream.

"I always imagined my future with my husband," Ghasemmi said. "My husband always wanted to see my daughter graduating. She will miss that opportunity. He’s not going to be in her wedding."

Afshin Roshdi said his 16-year-old niece called to tell him his brother had been killed.

"My dad was in a bad accident, and he's gone," she told him.

Afshin Roshdi started to investigate his brother's death and learned on the NextDoor app that hundreds of teens gather every Wednesday night in a parking lot on High House Road in Cary, about 2½ miles from the crash scene, to race. He went to the location recently and saw "probably 200 [to] 300" young people in their cars.

The Roshdi family said they believe the Baltimore 16-year-old driver who hit Armin Roshdi's car was racing at the time.

A police report indicates the teen's car was traveling at 60 mph in a 30-mph zone.

"We get tickets all the time," Afshin Roshdi said. "How come these kids can drive and race without getting a ticket or getting pulled over or anything like that?"

Cary police have received multiple complaints about racing in the area around Davis Drive, Lt. John Reeves said. The department has stepped up patrols and enforcement in the area to try and combat it, he said.

Morrisville police said the crash remains under investigation. No charges have been filed yet.

In addition to seeking criminal charges, the family plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the teen.

"It was senseless, careless and reckless," Ghasemmi said. "He needs to pay the price for the thing that he did. Having one minute of fun, you're taking the life of somebody else."

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