The Weekly Carnage
The Weekly Carnage is a Friday round-up of motor vehicle violence across the five boroughs and beyond. For more on the origins and purpose of this column, please read About the Weekly Carnage.
2:55 PM EDT on October 19, 2012
The Weekly Carnage is a Friday round-up of motor vehicle violence across the five boroughs and beyond. For more on the origins and purpose of this column, please read About the Weekly Carnage.
Fatal Crashes (3 killed this week, 127 this year, 9 drivers charged*)
- Jamaica: Maleka Begum, 54, Hit by Bus Driver in Crosswalk; No Charges Filed (Streetsblog)
- East Harlem: 44-Year-Old Woman Struck on Harlem River Drive (DNA)
- Williamsburg: 50-Year-Old Tractor-Trailer Driver Rear-Ended, Ejected from Vehicle; No Charges (DNA)
Injuries, Arrests and Property Damage
- Williamsbridge: Driver Hits, Seriously Injures 12-Year-Old in Crosswalk; No Charges (DNA)
- Greenwich Village: Intoxicated, Unlicensed Driver Leads Police Chase Before Crash (Post Blotter)
- Astoria: Nine Injured When Driver Rear-Ends School Bus (DNA)
- Bushwick: Off-Duty Cop Busted After DWI Crash, Fleeing Scene (Post)
- Middle Village: Driver Slams Into Glass Storefront; Police Quiet on Cause, Criminality (DNA)**
- Ridgewood: Cops Pursue SUV Thief After He Tried to Run Them Down (DNA)
- Parkchester: Driver Pins Cop Between Scooter and Fence; “No Criminality” (Post)**
- Sunnyside, SI: Driver With DWI Record Caught Asleep in Car With Engine Running (Advance)
- Midtown: Taxi Driver Throws Passenger Into Street, Allegedly Over Disputed Ride to Queens (Post)
In the Region, Out of Town
- North Hills, NY: Drunk Driver Kills Nassau Cop on LIE; Charged With Manslaughter (NBC NY, Fox)
- Gallatin, NY: Five Teens Hospitalized in One-Car Crash After Driver “Lost Control” (WSJ)
- Hampton, NJ: Driver Whose Crash Injured Four Cyclists Sentenced to 150 Days in Prison (Star-Ledger)
- Montclair, NJ: Driver Trapped in Car for Hours Following Crash Into Tree (Montclair Patch)
Following Up
- Company Whose Bus Driver Killed Maleka Begum: Driver Had “Unblemished Record” (Times Ledger)
- Cop Accused of Drunkenly Mowing Down Bronx Senior Turns Down Plea Deal (R’dale Press, News)
- Related: Kevin Spellman Had History of Drinking and Driving, Kept Quiet by NYPD (Streetsblog)
- Ray Kelly Ignores Inquiry From City Council Member Into Death of UES Senior Rubin Baum (Streetsblog)
- SI Church Hires DWI Cop Who Killed Family of Four Out of “Forgiveness and Mercy” (Advance)
- Friends Mourn South Ozone Park Teen Killed in Long Island Crash (Times Ledger)
*Based on latest available reports
**Incident in which a vehicle left the roadway
More from Streetsblog New York City
Some of NYC’s Worst Super Speeders Are City Marshals (You Know, The Guys With Badges)
They get justice for private citizens — yet they endanger them at the same time.
November 6, 2026
Mamdani Administration Battling Yet Another Suit By Delivery Apps Fighting Worker Protections
Uber, Instacart and Amazon are suing the city over a law that would force them to be more transparent when they remove workers from their platforms.
November 6, 2026
OPINION: New York City’s Trash Revolution Should Be an Accessibility Revolution, Too
The city has a rare chance to solve two major problems at once.
November 6, 2026
Friday’s Headlines: MTA Tin Cup Edition
The MTA hopes a Democratic Congress means more money for New York City straphangers. Plus more news.
November 6, 2026
Sunset Park Blaze Kills 6 As Lithium-ion Battery Fire Crisis Rages On
The city is experiencing a huge increase in fires caused by the lithium-ion batteries that power the delivery boom. A Thursday fire may be linked.
November 5, 2026