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

NYPD Blames Victim After Cab Driver Kills Woman on Upper East Side and Flees Scene

Video still: NY1

A yellow cab driver killed a woman on the Upper East Side this morning and fled the scene. The victim was the third person in five months to be killed by a cab driver while walking in the 19th Precinct, where police have prioritized ticketing cyclists and confiscating electric bikes.

The cabbie hit the victim, who police said was homeless, with a Toyota Camry at around 5:10 a.m. on Lexington Avenue near E. 68th Street. She died at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, the Daily News reported.

As of this afternoon police had not released the victim's name and the driver was still at large, an NYPD spokesperson told Streetsblog.

NYPD made excuses for the driver. With the investigation ongoing, police speculated that the victim was jaywalking, telling NY1 she “possibly walked between two parked vehicles into the street.” Almost four years after the launch of the city's Vision Zero program, NYPD routinely blames deceased crash victims in the press, even in cases where the driver leaves the scene.

Manikam Srymanean, 50, and Barbara Horn, 80, were killed by cab drivers in the 19th Precinct in April and July, respectively. At least seven people killed while walking in the 19th Precinct since 2014 were hit by TLC-licensed drivers.

The precinct, meanwhile, has boasted about expending enforcement resources on seizing electric bikes from delivery workers. On average, precinct officers ticket fewer than one speeding driver per day.

Targeting cyclists while motorists kill people isn't making Upper East Side streets safer, but City Council members Ben Kallos and Dan Garodnick, who represents the district where today's fatal crash occurred, have encouraged the precinct's approach.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

New Bill Would Block Apps From Deactivating Workers Without Cause

A Brooklyn Council member wants delivery app companies to be more human and less robot.

July 18, 2025

Friday Video: Is Berlin a Great Biking City?

Have recent moves by anti-bike, pro-car legislators ruined the experience in the capital of a unified Germany? Sort of!

July 18, 2025

Eyes on the Street: Meeker Avenue Bike Lane Is a Failure

The Department of Transportation still hasn't finished a critical bike lane under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway that the agency has been stalling for over four years even after identifying the strip's danger and lack of proper signals.

July 18, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Cuomo’s Road Rage Edition

Why does Andrew Cuomo drive so recklessly? Plus other news.

July 18, 2025

Fixing Third Ave. Was Once ‘Top of List’ For Eric Adams — But as Mayor He Backed Off

Mayor Adams has delayed a redesign of Brooklyn's Third Avenue despite once saying safety fixes there should be "at the top of our list."

July 17, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: Jerry Nadler Edition

U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler faced off with Sean Duffy on Capitol Hill. Plus more news.

July 17, 2025
See all posts