Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Cobble Hill

Sheer Luck Prevents Curb-Jumping Driver From Killing People on Court Street

No one was hurt when a driver crashed into a movie theater in Cobble Hill last night. If not for sheer luck the outcome could have been much worse.

Former Streetsblog contributor Sarah Goodyear tweeted photos of the scene outside Cobble Hill Cinemas at 265 Court Street, a spot Goodyear said she passes "literally 20 times a day."

The motorist drove an SUV onto the sidewalk, knocked over a fire hydrant and "kept going into the building," Goodyear wrote.

Responding to Goodyear's tweets, the 76th Precinct said the crash happened at 9:30 p.m., when the movie theater would normally be open. The precinct said the driver was "unlawful and at fault," but did "not appear" to be speeding. According to Goodyear, the 25 mph speed limit is "never enforced" on that part of Court -- a neighborhood main street lined with businesses.

cinema-2

Fatal sidewalk crashes remain a regular occurrence in NYC, including the neighborhoods near last night’s crash.

In 2013 48-year-old Martha Atwater was struck by a driver just after stepping out of a cafe at the corner of Clinton Street and Atlantic Avenue. That crash also occurred in the 76th Precinct, where local officers ticket roughly three speeding drivers a day.

Monday's incident happened within two miles of the locations where curb-jumping drivers killed Lucian Merryweather and Victoria Nicodemus, in the 88th Precinct. All four crashes occurred in residential areas where motorists should never drive fast enough to "lose control" of their vehicles.

Since the 2014 launch of the city's Vision Zero initiative, NYC motorists have killed at least 36 people on sidewalks, greenways, and other places drivers aren't supposed to be. That no one died Monday was due only to fortuitous timing.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

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

Former NYPD Boss Says Deadly High Speed Chases Were Result Of ‘Rogue’ Adams Insiders

Former NYPD Commissioner Tom Donlon alleged widespread corruption leading to a string of deadly high-speed chases.

July 16, 2025

Uncle Sam Wants to Fence Off a Lower Manhattan Plaza

A federally-funded police gate will lockdown a pedestrian plaza huddled between two federal courthouses in Manhattan.

July 16, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines: Gonna Have to Pay for That Edition

We're going to need a lot more money to handle storms like the one we saw on Monday. Plus more news.

July 16, 2025

Appeals Court Halts Adams’s Impending Bedford Ave. Protected Bike Lane Demolition

The judge's ruling came just as the city was set to begin the bike lane demolition process Tuesday evening.

July 15, 2025
See all posts