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

Tow Truck Driver Kills Ping Xie, 81, in Flushing

Kissena Boulevard at Holly Avenue in Queens, where a driver fatally struck 81-year-old Ping Xie. Image: Google Maps

A senior who was hit by a truck driver in Flushing last week has died from her injuries.

The crash occurred on March 9 at around 3 p.m. Ping Xie, 81, was crossing Kissena Boulevard at Holly Avenue, in a crosswalk with the signal, when Frederick Alsterberg hit her with a tow truck while turning left from westbound Holly onto Kissena, according to Gothamist and the Times Ledger.

Xie was transported to New York Presbyterian Hospital in critical condition. NYPD announced her death yesterday.

Police charged Alsterberg, 81, with a misdemeanor under the Right of Way Law and failure to exercise due care. He was also cited for a window tint violation.

The crash happened in the 109th Precinct, which in 2015 responded to a series of pedestrian deaths with a crackdown on walking. Xie was the second senior fatally struck by a driver in the 109th Precinct in 2017.

“My office is closely monitoring the situation and I am yet again calling on the Department of Transportation to work closely with the NYPD 109th Precinct and immediately assess the area to ensure safe roads for our seniors in Flushing,” Assembly Member Nily Rozic told the Times Ledger.

Motorists have killed at least 19 people walking on NYC surface streets this year. Of 17 victims whose ages were reported, 12 were 65 or over, according to crash data tracked by Streetsblog. Last week Transportation Alternatives called on the city to do more to protect seniors from reckless drivers.

Motorists injured 11 people walking at Kissena and Holly from 2010 through 2016, according to city crash data.

Ping Xie was killed in the City Council district represented by Peter Koo.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Queenshorror Bridge: Two Days After Minor Storm, Span Was An Ice Sheet (But It’s Better Now!)

Bike riders are angry about conditions on the Queensboro Bridge bike lane more than two days after a fairly insignificant snowfall ended.

January 21, 2026

INTERVIEW: MTA Chair Janno Lieber Talks to Streetsblog to Mark Four Years at the Top

The MTA chairman talked with Streetsblog about his tenure, congestion pricing, bus stops, Babe Ruth and more.

January 21, 2026

OPINION: To Move Past the ‘Agony and Terror’ of the Adams Years, DOT Must Lean Into Research

Ex-Mayor Adams sandbagged DOT's capacity to explain why it pursue street redesigns in the first place, and the ability to inform New Yorkers, in clear and honest terms.

January 21, 2026

Wednesday’s Headlines: Talk is Cheap Edition

We're hawking half-priced tickets to a New York Focus transportation event. Plus other news.

January 21, 2026

F150 Driver Kills Cyclist in Queens

The carnage continues in the World's Borough.

January 20, 2026

Central Park Changes Have Eased Crossings for Pedestrians, New Data Shows

Pedestrians are waiting less time to cross the bustling six-mile loop after the city shortened crossing distances and replaced "stop" lights with yellow "yield" signals.

January 20, 2026
See all posts