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

The Final Crash Victim of 2018 Died Just After the New Year Began [Updated]

Photo: Franz Golhen

A 69-year-old man passed away on New Year's Day from injuries sustained the previous evening, police said.

Mustag Ahmad, of Bensonhurst, was crossing New Utrecht Avenue near 82nd Street at around 6:30 p.m. on New Year's Eve, when the 44-year-old driver of a 2017 Honda Accord struck him, according to NYPD. Cops blamed the victim by saying he was crossing "mid-block, outside the marked crosswalk" — but failed to point out that there is no crosswalk at that location.

Ahmad was rushed to Maimonides Medical Center with severe head trauma. He died the next day.

New Utrecht Avenue at 82nd Street — near where NYPD says the victim was "crossing outside the crosswalk." Photo: Google Street View
New Utrecht Avenue at 82nd Street — near where NYPD says the victim was struck "outside the marked crosswalk." Photo: Google Street View
New Utrecht Avenue at 82nd Street — near where NYPD says the victim was "crossing outside the crosswalk." Photo: Google Street View

No charges have been filed against the driver. The speed limit on New Utrecht Avenue is 25 miles per hour. Had the driver been traveling that speed, it's unlikely Ahmad would have been killed.

Despite dying in 2019, Ahmad's death will be counted in 2018, according to a spokesman for the Department of Transportation. An investigation by the department's Collision Investigation Squad is ongoing.

Updated: The original version of this story was based on misinformation provided by the NYPD and has been updated to reflect that Ahmad will be classified as a 2018 fatality.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

No Accident: Red Hook Pool Closure Saga Stems from Adams Administration ‘Underinvestment’

An Olympic-size pool in Red Hook has sat empty since the summer’s start, leaving residents in the area out to dry and pissed off in blistering, record high heat.

July 25, 2025

The Perfect Beast: Even Google’s AI Thinks Streets Are for Cars

Artificial intelligence is completely naturally addicted to promoting cars.

July 25, 2025

Friday Video: Krakow is a Polish Pedestrian Paradise

Check out how car drivers simply stop for pedestrians — and not just pedestrians in a crosswalk, but also pedestrians about to enter a crosswalk or even just thinking about maybe entering a crosswalk.

July 25, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Putting the ‘Con’ in ConEd Edition

Con Edison has blocked the Vernon Boulevard bike lane for more than a week now. Plus other news.

July 25, 2025

Fixing Canal Street Means Rethinking the Manhattan Bridge Itself: Experts

Canal Street needs a fix, but the city must go straight to the source.

July 24, 2025

Lower East Side Panel Joins Growing Chorus Against Tisch’s E-Bike Criminalization

Another New York neighborhood is calling for an end to the “disproportionate consequences” that e-bike users face under the NYPD’s sweeping crackdown.

July 24, 2025
See all posts