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

Driver Pleads to Felony in Hit-and-Run Death of Manhattan Pedestrian

Doohee Cho. Photo via Daily News
Doohee Cho. Photo via Daily News
Doohee Cho. Photo via Daily News

A driver who killed a Union Square pedestrian pled guilty to a felony hit-and-run charge this week.

Doohee Cho, 33, was crossing Fifth Avenue between E. 15th and E. 16th streets in the early morning hours of September 28, 2014, when Macgyver Beltran hit him with a Chevrolet sedan, according to published reports.

Police arrested Beltran two days later, after releasing video of him speeding away from the scene in the visibly damaged car. Beltran had taken the car, a rental, to have it repaired, the Post reported.

Beltran, then 25, had an arrest record that included a reckless driving offense, the Post said.

According to court records, Beltran was charged with leaving the scene of an injury crash and evidence tampering, class D and E felonies, respectively. He pled guilty to both charges on Tuesday.

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance did not charge Beltran for the act of killing Doohee Cho.

The top charge against Beltran -- leaving the scene -- carries penalties ranging from probation to seven years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 26.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Sunday Read: Middle Village Has a Love-Hate Relationship with the IBX

The idea of making it easier to reach Middle Village clearly put some Middle Villagers on edge.

November 23, 2025

Speaker Adams and DOT Are Eviscerating Daylighting Bill

Some are looking to the next mayor and Council to pass the life-saving measure.

November 21, 2025

Memo to Mamdani: Fifth Ave. Belongs to the People — Not the Ultra-Wealthy and Gridlock

Mayor-elect Mamdani should revive DOT's plan to transform Fifth Avenue — which Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams shelved at the behest of powerful business interests.

November 21, 2025

‘Dirty and Embarrassing’: Jim McGreevey Fights Street Safety in Jersey City Mayoral Run

All eyes are on the Garden State's second city, where a former governor plots a comeback with a divisive, anti-safety campaign.

November 21, 2025

Cutting Federal Transit Funding Won’t Close Budget Gaps — But Will Make Transportation Less Affordable

The Trump administration's proposal to eliminate the mass transit account of the Highway Trust Fund would be short-sighted, ineffective, and ruinous, a new analysis finds.

November 21, 2025

Friday Video: A New Urbanist Heard From

Joel Katuala is "pissed off" about the criminal crackdown on cyclists.

November 21, 2025
See all posts