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

Unlicensed Hit-and-Run Driver Charged for Killing 90-Year-Old in Queens

Photo: Franz Golhen

An unlicensed 25-year-old hit-and-run driver who killed an elderly woman on her Jamaica block on Wednesday morning was charged in the crime, the NYPD said.

Eber Baten, 25, slammed into Isabel Duarte, 90, with his Ford Econoline van as he made a left turn from Jamaica Avenue onto 129th Street, which Duarte was crossing at around 7 a.m.

Baten fled but was later caught, arrested, and charged with leaving the scene of a collision, failure-to-yield, failure to exercise due care, and driving without a license, cops said.

The NYPD's swift action to apprehend and immediately charge Baten deviates from other recent crashes involving blatantly negligent behavior.

On Saturday, a white pickup truck driver struck and killed 62-year-old Edith Perez at Farrington Street and 31st Road in Flushing. Later in the day, an Academy Bus driver ran over a 73-year-old man on 10th Avenue in Manhattan and fled the scene.

Neither driver faced charges; NYPD would only say that investigations were "ongoing." The NYPD said the same thing when a pedestrian died Sunday after being hit hours earlier in Chelsea, and in late October, when three more pedestrians were killed.

The NYPD declined to comment on its approach to enforcement.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Memo to NYPD Commish Tisch: Drivers Keep Driving, And Killing, on Suspended Licenses

License suspension doesn't keep drivers off the road, why would it work with bikes?

May 29, 2025

‘RIDERS’ on the Storm: Assembly Kills E-Bike Registration Bid

E-bike advocates dodged a bullet in the state legislature — but a fusillade is expected anyway. Plus Amy's Albany Addenda!

May 29, 2025

Council Outrage Over NYPD Bike Criminalization Grows, But Speaker Adams Is In No Rush

Council members want Speaker Adrienne Adams to act, but she doesn't want to.

May 29, 2025

Op-Ed: NYS Needs the Economic and Environmental Stimulus of E-Bike Subsidies

A "Ride Clean Rebate" is what real climate and economic leadership looks like, argues this industry leader.

May 29, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: The Loudest Voices Edition

Learn how to counteract the nattering nabobs of negativism. Plus other news.

May 29, 2025

Speed Governor: Leadfoot Cuomo Appears to Run Red Light After Midtown Confab

Cuomo, who already has two speeding tickets on his record, was caught on camera driving through a red light on Wednesday.

May 28, 2025
See all posts