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

No Drivers Charged for Deaths and Injuries in Weekend of Carnage [Updated]

When it comes to deadly recklessness, drivers don't need the New York Times to tell them to "Go for it," as Charles McGrath did in last week's paean to the urban supercar. After a stunningly violent weekend on city streets, the indulgent motoring fantasies of McGrath and his target audience appear all the more vacuous.

Henry Garcia was killed and Timothy Keith was left brain dead by drivers in Brooklyn on Saturday. Henry's killer fled the scene. The driver who hit Timothy was not charged.

On Saturday morning, Gothamist reported that two pedestrians were critically injured by a hit-and-run driver at White Plains Road and Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx.

Then, at approximately 3:40 p.m. Saturday, Henry Garcia, 13, was riding his bike on 20th Avenue near 80th Street in Bensonhurst when he was hit by the driver of a green Ford SUV, according to the Post. Henry died Sunday at Coney Island Hospital. The driver remains at large.

Less than 90 minutes later, five-year-old Timothy Keith was struck by a cab driver while walking with his parents on Hicks Street in Cobble Hill. NYPD sources told the Daily News that Timothy ran into the street, and that the cab driver said he "couldn't stop in time." Yesterday it was reported that Timothy is brain dead. The driver was not charged. Timothy and his parents, all of whom are deaf, are from DC. They were on their first family trip to the city.

Deborah Munize, 59, was sitting at a bus stop at Montrose and Graham Avenues in Williamsburg at around 5:15 Sunday morning when she was hit by a curb-jumping livery cab driver. Munize was hospitalized in stable condition with leg injuries, according to the News. Driver Maximo Espinal later turned himself in and was charged with reckless driving and leaving the scene.

The Post reports that on Sunday at 8:30 p.m., Victor Felix, 57, was crossing Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard near W. 146th Street in Harlem when he was struck and killed by Garry Kinlock, a maintenance worker for NYPD. Kinlock was charged with DWI.

Based on published reports, to this point not one of the three drivers identified by authorities has been charged by NYPD, Charles Hynes or Cy Vance for taking a life or inflicting serious injury, though one left the scene and another was allegedly driving drunk.

Update: Streetsblog has queries in with the offices of district attorneys Hynes and Vance, respectively, regarding the crashes that injured Timothy Keith and Deborah Munize, and the suspected DWI death of Victor Felix.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Friday Video: Are We All Living in a ‘Carspiracy’?

How does "car-brain" shape the way we think about the world — even in relatively bike-friendly countries like the U.K.?

July 26, 2024

Deranged Driver Blows Through Brooklyn Open Streets Barriers

An unhinged motorist plowed through open streets barriers on Hoyt Street in Brooklyn seconds after volunteers set them up earlier this month.

July 26, 2024

Analysis: Can Hochul Be Sued into Overturning Her ‘Unlawful’ Congestion Pricing Pause?

Will either suit win — or, more important, force Hochul to settle?

July 26, 2024

Eric the Relic: In Blaming Dead Pedestrians, Adams Seizes Long-Discredited and Hateful Messaging

It's a time-honored car culture tactic: If you can’t or won’t protect pedestrians, make them take the rap.

July 25, 2024
See all posts