NYPD: No Video of Driver Who Killed Roxana Sorina Buta

The woman killed by a hit-and-run truck driver at Union Square last week has been identified as Roxana Sorina Buta.

Roxana Sorina Buta

Last Thursday at approximately 1:30 a.m., Buta, 21, was walking east across Broadway at 14th Street, in the crosswalk and with the light, when an eastbound dump truck driver made a right turn and ran her over, according to reports. The driver continued south on Broadway.

Buta, an aspiring actress who came to the U.S. from Romania at age 11, was on her way home to East Harlem from her waitressing job. Cristina Oprea, Buta’s mother, has asked the driver to come forward. The Daily News reports that NYPD has told Oprea that there is no surveillance video of the truck.

Pending corrective action from Albany, motorists in New York have strong incentives to flee the scene of a crash. As we’ve written before, even when they surrender or are caught by police, the current system is weighted to favor drivers who kill. It’s likely that the driver who struck Buta would face only a misdemeanor and would see little to no time in jail. In many cases, all a driver has to do to satisfy police and prosecutors is say he didn’t see the victim.

Roxana Sorina Buta was killed at the intersection of the 6th, 9th and 13th Precincts. To voice your concerns about area traffic safety directly to local commanding officers, go to the next community council meeting. Community council meeting and contact information may be found on each precinct’s respective web page.

  • fj

    The extremely heavy pedestrian traffic on Union Square demands severe automotive restrictions as originally planned by DoT which ultimately caved to the considerable pressure by special interests.

    Enough is enough and it is now time to make Union Square completely safe for pedestrians and cyclists.

  • Where is Ray Kelly?

    We have a hit-and-run epidemic in this city. And the NYPD is doing absolutely nothing about it.

  • David Bloom

    I see killer garbage and dump trucks every nite.  The speed around corners for fun and see how fast they can spin those huge trucks. This is a tragedy which is totally avoidable with right turn lanes. Go to any other city in the world and then come back here. This is the most 3rd world large city in the developed world.  And our cops now all weigh 300 pounds. Welcome to America. 

  • Anonymous

    Right. No surveillance video. In Union Square.

  • Anonymous

    “We have a hit-and-run epidemic in this city. And the NYPD is doing absolutely nothing about it.”

    Perhaps Dr. Tom Farley, the Commissioner of the New York City Health Department would like to weigh in on this.

     Nah, too busy worrying about who’s smoking in the park.

    http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/home/home.shtml

  • Joe R.

    An often used “defense” by the driver in cases like this is “I didn’t see the victim”. We can use this very assertion as ammunition against the problem. If these large trucks have so many blind spots that they really can’t see pedestrians or cyclists, then perhaps lawmakers should consider banning them from city streets altogether (or putting in governers which limit their speed to a safe 3 to 5 mph).

  • Ben Kintisch

    I agree with several commenters that the night time garbage and dump trucks are careening around the city in a very dangerous manner. How many more must die before Ray Kelly et. al. pay attention?

  • Jed

    This corner sees huge volumes of pedestrian traffic and is an obvious deathtrap….. how is it that there are cameras all over Washington Square Park (an extremely safe place) and the financial district but no authority has a camera trained on this very deadly location?

  • ChevyLvrNy

    I was riding my Bike south along the West side Bike path the other night, A City garbage Truck, Speeding blew through several lights before he was out of sight,, Keep in mind that the West side Hwy is a speedway at night anyhow, 50 is common, But this Truck had to be going 60 to 70, I agree, The way that these large vehicles are driven throughout our city is very reckless, See them all the time.

  • Guest

    There isn’t any video?

    Or they didn’t bother to look for any, so it won’t surface until the victim’s family tracks it down themselves?

  • Guest

    Did they check to see if cameras at the Citibank right there on that corner caught anything?

  • Nonosays

    Dear friends and concerned citizens
    There will be a rally and vigil for Roxi Sorina-Buta on Thursday at 5pm
    At the scene of her death by a hit and run trash truck
    14th and Broadway
    Manhattan

    Please come and voice your outrage and show support for this beautiful angel we have lost.
    Thanks

  • Nonosays

    Dear friends and concerned citizens
    There will be a rally and vigil for Roxi Sorina-Buta on Thursday at 5pm
    At the scene of her death by a hit and run trash truck
    14th and Broadway
    Manhattan

    Please come and voice your outrage and show support for this beautiful angel we have lost.
    Thanks

  • Furious Furiousgirl

    There is so much corruption that it is actually what’s going on, even in Mexico or any other country in South America there are cameras down town, come on, and over there NYC can’t afford good surveillance?, but when ever they what to get a terrorist they get the pics out of their asses.
     “THIS IS WAY TO CONVENIENT” for some people, NYC, the biggest, prettiest city in the world citizens are being killed and the system, police, court, legislation etc., isn’t doing anything about it? WE NEED TO CLEAN HOUSE!!!!

  • Rosanapoli

    There are too many careless drivers on the road. I drive and the things I see are unbelievable. The carelessness that goes on. How people have no regard for life. That your recklessness could cost a life, and in this case it did. It left a family in grief forever.

  • disappointed

     its Union Square… Wheres “big brother” when you need it?  This is heart breaking.  This is someone’s daughter! How is it that myor bloomberg’s ban on big sodas is getting more attention than this??

  • Gigi

    I lived in Rio and I was never afraid of dying because of criminals. Today I live in NY and I’m afraid to die by car hit. they do not respect anybody or baby stroller. Too bad NYC!!!

  • Baba Booey

    Was probably one of those Occuturds

  • Stephanieiscovitz

    This petition is calling for justice for the death of my sister and best friend, Roxana Sorina Buta. On Thursday, May 24th, 2012 Roxi was killed in a hit and run while crossing with the light to walk on 14th and Broadway by a Department of Transportation garbage truck. The police have identified the driver but no arrest has been made. Why? Hit and runs are not considered serious crimes and drivers get away with murder all the time. The city’s negligence, in particular, is shameful when it comes to vehicle-related deaths. As long as a driver says he/she didn’t see the person, they are only charged with a misdemeanor, and more often than not released without so much as a fine. Roxi was killed in a hit and run by a Department of Transportation driver who so far faces no charges and is claiming that he did not see Roxi as he hit her head on, or the many people who screamed and chased after him. If this is the case, then driving one of these trucks is no different than shooting a loaded gun with your eyes closed. This has to change. Please sign to ask Mayor Bloomberg and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly to treat this, and all other hit and runs, as manslaughter. We already have over 1,500 signatures at Roxi’s memorial in Union Square, help us reach 10,000!http://www.change.org/petitions/hit-and-run-crime-roxana-sorina-butaThanks,Stephanie

  • Stephanieiscovitz

  • The garbage truck you choose depends on the needs of your company and the community you will serve. If you specialize in commercial businesses that utilize dumpsters, a front loading model is the best.

  • Ian Simonson

    Of course there was video, as has now been confirmed. It is disgusting how blase the NYPD is about cases such as this.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/nyregion/reckless-drivers-who-hit-people-face-few-penalties-in-new-york.html?ref=nyregion

  • Chanel # 5

    I know this is the month of September .
    I feel we , should have  another rally for
    Ms . roxanne sonia buta , as well as some the
    people who has passed on due to vehicle crimes
    and got NO JUSTICE  .  I  also feel .
    Due to the judge , that shoud be check , as well
    as high quality , professional  Lawyer .  they are
    cameras . But NYPD . They always take the side
    of the drivers . Because they have a car , are they
    more superior or what .  Why do they take their side .
    Its time for NYC to know this .  Some thing aint right .
    I notice , something strange about these murders , with
    ms . buta , and some other vehicle deaths . The crimes that
    were not take seriously were . Were either very successful ,
    or about to be famous or something .  Were their murders
    neglected because of  jealousy , hate  , discrimanation  or
    something . Could some one didnt care , because this people
    would have been very successful . More than them .

  • Starider10

    I am a mother of a son who was killed by a hit and run motorist on the West Side Highway, September 18, 2006, needless to say there has been NO closure.. We have spent countless hours traveling from NC to NYC where he lived to speak with the NYPD and anyone else involed with this case. WAY too many indescrepencies to mention between the paramedics report and the NYPD. It appeared the NYPD wanted to shut us down and shut us up. There was one camera, but it has never been fully viewed, it seems to be lost!!!! We understand all the families pain..

  • moocow

    Starider, you should speak to lawyer Steve Vaccaro, He has dealt with this awful treatment of families and the victims. He is a very knowledgeable and pleasant person.

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By Brad Aaron |
A Department of Transportation truck driver who killed 21-year-old Manhattan pedestrian Roxana Sorina Buta was not issued a summons or charged for leaving the scene, and could be behind the wheel today, according to a lawsuit filed by the Buta family. Cristina Oprea, Buta’s mother, claims that Buta’s death resulted from negligence on the part of […]