Twelve years ago State Senator Marty Golden ran over a 74-year-old woman with his SUV on Brooklyn's Third Avenue, a few miles down the same street where, on Monday night, Golden impersonated a police officer while brandishing his parking placard in an attempt to bully a cyclist out of a bike lane with his chauffeured Cadillac.
The woman died soon after the crash. NYPD blamed the victim.
Hariklia Zafiropoulos was crossing Third at 84th Street in Bay Ridge in August of 2005 when Golden hit her with his Chevy Blazer, according to reports by the Times, the Daily News, and the Post. She was walking home from church with her sister and the collision caused her head to strike the pavement.
NYPD told the press Zafiropoulos crossed against the light. However, no media reports that we found indicated how police concluded that the victim did not have the right of way. Instead, reporters emphasized that Golden remained at the scene, seemed concerned, and visited the victim in the hospital.
The Post reports that Zafiropoulous died a few months after Golden struck her.
In the State Senate, Golden has repeatedly used his position to limit NYC's life-saving speed camera program. Unlike human police, speed cameras don't let motorists with parking placards off the hook for violations.
Open data searches prompted by Monday's incident turned up a number of speeding and red light-running tickets issued to the Cadillac Golden was riding in.
Golden's office did not respond to Streetsblog's queries concerning the incident on Monday night.
Streetsblog filed a freedom of information request for NYPD files related to the crash that injured Zafiropoulous.
