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

Adams Once Again Delays Pared-Down Protected Bike Lanes In Prospect-Lefferts Gardens

The delay caps the ignominious end of Mayor Adams's reign over the city's Department of Transportation.

December 22, 2025

Streetsies 2025: Advocate(s) of the Year

Little changes on New York City's streets without fighting for it — but who did it best? Please vote for this year's honoree.

December 22, 2025

Monday’s Headlines: Turn-SPIKED! Edition

Gov. Phil Murphy put the kibosh on plans to widen the New Jersey Turnpike east of the Newark Bay Bridge. Plus more news.

December 22, 2025

Cough, Cough: Adams Administration Hands Largest Ever Idling Law Exemption to NJ Charter Bus Company

Academy Bus Lines requested the exemption — the largest in DEP's history — after receiving more than $500,000 in idling violations. But there is some good news.

December 19, 2025

Hochul Vetoes Bill Mandating Two Operators on Most Subway Trains

The veto from Hochul came over the concerns of organized labor who saw the legislation as a way to make subway travel safer.

December 19, 2025

Pedestrian Killed by Hit-and-Run Driver on Crowded Lower East Side Street

The driver kept going. EMTs took the badly injured woman to Bellevue Hospital, where she died.

December 19, 2025
See all posts