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

UPDATE: Cops Say They Have Arrested Driver Who Killed Anastasia Diaz on Staten Island

Cops caught the driver who killed Anastasia Diaz by piecing together surveillance footage. File photo: NYPD

Updated | Police say they have arrested the driver who fled after running over and killing a Staten Island pedestrian — a collar that came hours after cops asked the public to help find the criminal.

Johnson Kim, 74, was arrested for killing of Anastasia Diaz, 89, late Saturday at the corner of Bradley and Purdy avenues in the Castleton Corners section of the Rock. Cops say Kim slammed into Diaz after she stepped off a city bus with her sisters, then kept on driving.

Kim was charged with the serious charge of leaving the scene of a crash and tampering with physical evidence — cops say he repaired his damaged Toyota Sienna, though police did not specify the extent of the damage.

Police spokesmen offered no details about how the NYPD determined that the Sienna was the murder vehicle beyond both saying it was "good police work." A timestamp from the video indicates that the car was caught on camera almost an hour before the 10:29 p.m. crash. Matching the video up to street view images on Google maps shows that the video was taken by a camera affixed to the side of Engine 163/Ladder 83 at the corner of Jewett and Crowell avenues.

That location is several blocks away from the crash site.

Arrests for leaving the scene of a crash are rare on Staten Island. In 2018, there were 168 hit-and-run crashes on Staten Island, resulting in just 16 arrests, police statistics show.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

And the Winner Is…: Streetsblog’s New Video Team Honored with Deadline Club Award

Streetsblog's social media team, led by Engagement Editor Emily Lipstein, received the Deadline Club's award for digital video reporting on Thursday night.

Friday Video: The ‘Clear’ Benefits of Daylighting

The doyen of daylighting is back with a new video.

May 16, 2025

How One Anti-Gov’t Republican Signed onto a Street Safety Bill to Rein in Reckless Drivers

State Sen. Anthony Palumbo went from "government overreach" to reaching across the aisle in a single day.

May 16, 2025

‘All in the Family’: NYPD Commissioner and Power-Broker Mom Are Both Crusading Against E-Bikes

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch has justified her criminal crackdown on cycling by saying that complaints about cyclists are the most frequent concerns she hears. Such complaints could be coming from inside the house.

May 16, 2025

Puddles Plague Hudson River Greenway As Rain Batters NYC

Greenway cyclists face dangerous conditions when it rains — as Streetsblog observed this week in Manhattan.

May 16, 2025
See all posts