Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In

The Weekly Carnage is a Friday round-up of motor vehicle mayhem
across the five boroughs and beyond. For more on the origins and purpose of this
column, please read About the Weekly Carnage.

carnage_rollino.jpg"The Great" Joe Rollino, killed by driver on January 11 in Brooklyn

Fatal Crashes (7 Killed This Week, 14 This Year, 4 Drivers Charged*)

    • Dyker Heights, Brooklyn: Joe Rollino, "World's Strongest Man," Killed by Brooklyn Minivan Driver at Age 104; No Charges Filed (NYT, NY1, News, Post, Bklyn Eagle)
    • Annadale, SI: 23-Year-Old Daniel Kelley, Jogger Hit by Drugged Driver, Dies of Injuries; Further Charges Against Killer Gypsy Porfirio Pending (News, NY1, Advance 1, 2)
    • Related: Pedestrian Safety on the Minds of Staten Islanders (Advance 1, 2)
    • Eastchester, Bronx: Unidentified Pedestrian, 66, Hit by Driver of Mini Cooper; Gerard King, 53, Charged With Homicide, DWI (Post)
    • Flushing, Queens: Unidentified Pedestrian Hit, Killed by Two Drivers on Grand Central Parkway; No Charges (News)
    • Hillcrest, Queens: Speeding Driver Plows Into Cars on Grand Central Parkway, Killing Another Driver; Charged With DWI, Manslaughter (News)
    • Bay Ridge, Brooklyn: Two Killed in Belt Parkway Crash; Driver Charged With Homicide (NYT, Post)

Injuries, Arrests and Property Damage

    • Manhattan: Howard Safir Hits Pregnant Woman With SUV, Drives Off (NYT, NY1, News, Post)
    • Related: DA Vance Examining Safir Hit-and-Run, Ped and Cyclist Deaths (Streetsblog, NYT, Post)
    • Related: Ray Kelly Says Collision "Not a Criminal Matter," Considers Case Closed (News, Fox5)
    • Manhattan: Driver Fleeing Police Tears Through Midtown; 3 Cops Injured (Post, News)
    • Queens: Pedestrian Critical After Collision in Hollis Hills; Driver Blames Sun; No Charges (NY1)
    • Old Town, SI: Driver Rams SUV Into Laundromat, Steals Cash Register (News)
    • Bulls Head, SI: Firefighter Hurt When Truck Carrying Oil and Antifreeze Catches Fire (Advance)
    • Bronx: Driver Trying to Avoid Rear-Ender Hits Pole, Writes Entertaining Forum Post (8th Civic)
    • Crashes Reported on Manhattan, Verrazano Bridges (WNBC, Advance)

Following Up

carnage_drunk_bus_driver_vid.jpg

In the Region, Out of Town

    • LA Road Rager Christopher Thompson Gets Five Years for Injuring Two Cyclists (Streetsblog LA)
    • Son of Brooklyn Rabbi, Two Others Killed in Crash Outside Pittsburgh (Post)
    • Almond, NY: School Bus Driver Gets 90 Days for On-the-Job DWI (News)
    • Windham, NY: 2 Teens Killed in Three-Car Catskills Crash (AP)
    • How Safe Will Kids Be at Newark's Speedway Elementary? (MTR)

Other News

    • Vulnerable Street User Law to Be Reintroduced in Albany (Streetsblog)
    • Before Leaving Office, Morgenthau Joined Ray Kelly in Cementing New DWI Procedures (News)
    • FocusDriven, New Group Modeled on MADD, Takes on Distracted Driving (Bits, NY1)
    • Cellphone-Using Drivers Cause 28 Percent of U.S. Crashes: 1.4M a Year (WaPo)
    • Safety Guru Leonard Evans: Distracting Auto Tech "Worse Than a Six-Pack in the Front Seat" (AOL)
    • Ford VP Says Company Wants to Make Cars "as Cool as Your iPhone" (MediaPost)
    • New York, Connecticut Picked for Fed-Supported DWD Enforcement Study (WNYC)
    • Tennessee Considering Crackdown on Life-Saving Traffic Cams (Times Free Press)
    • FL Phantom Cam Controversy: Do Drivers Hate Cameras, or Hate Following the Law? (WZVN)

* Based on latest available reports

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

City Gave Garbage Routes To Companies With Bad Safety Records: Audit

Companies with the most safety violations scored big under Mayor Adams.

September 18, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: Across the Pond Edition

Transportation planners in London are using traffic filters to create mini town squares and low-traffic neighborhoods. Plus more news.

September 18, 2025

OPINION: Here’s How to Bring Real Bus Rapid Transit to Flatbush Avenue

It is worth a little extra time and money to get this right.

September 17, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines: Stop Them Before They Kill Edition

Another day, another driver who should never have been on the road slamming into something. Plus other news.

September 17, 2025

‘Good Trade-Off’: Rat-Hating Mayor Adams Puts Trash Cans Over Parking As Bins Come to Brooklyn

A few parking spots are worth the "sacrifice" of cleaner streets, Adams said announcing plans to bring curbside trash bins to Brooklyn.

September 16, 2025
See all posts