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

Unlicensed Driver Pleads Guilty in Brooklyn Hit-and-Run Death

NYPD has a get-out-of-jail-free card for drivers of large trucks who strike and kill people. Image: News 12

A motorist who killed a man in Brooklyn has pled guilty to leaving the scene and driving without a valid license.

Brian Young struck 28-year-old Francis Perez as Perez crossed Avenue V in Sheepshead Bay on the night of September 23, 2016.

Perez
Perez
Perez

Perez had just walked out of a store with snacks for his 8-year-old son when Young rammed him with a Toyota SUV and kept driving.

“The guy flew in the air, and then the [driver]… stopped at that corner and just drove off,” a witness told the Daily News.

Prosecutors charged Young, then 47, with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and third degree aggravated unlicensed operation. The Brooklyn district attorney’s office declined to charge Young for the act of killing Perez.

Under state law the penalty for hit-and-run can be less severe than the penalty for a drunk driver who injures or kills someone and remains at the scene, a statutory flaw Albany legislators have for years failed to fix.

Leaving the scene of a fatal crash is a class D felony with penalties ranging from probation to seven years in prison. Third degree aggravated unlicensed operation is a low-level misdemeanor. Young pled guilty to both charges Wednesday, according to court records.

Young is scheduled to be sentenced in May.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Thursday’s Headlines: Merry Christmas Edition

Day off today, but we'll be back tomorrow.

December 25, 2025

Streetsies 2025: The Best Projects of the Year

Even amid Mayor Adams's bikelash lame-duck era, there were some major bright spots this year.

December 24, 2025

Hey, Insurance Companies, Here’s Some Driver Fraud Hiding in Plain Sight

Insurers don't seem to care, but we've provided a list!

December 24, 2025

Streetsies 2025: The Biggest Failures Of The Year

2025 was rough year to be a cyclist in New York City, now's your chance to vote for what pissed you off the most.

December 24, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines: See You In Court Edition

President Trump's case against congestion pricing will finally be heard next month. Plus other news.

December 24, 2025

Mamdani Appoints Pro-Labor Lawyer To Run Worker Protection Agency

"My life's work has been about ensuring that money and power cannot trample the rights and dignity of working people," said the incoming DCWP commissioner, Sam Levine.

December 23, 2025
See all posts