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

Happy Bloody New Year: Queens Pedestrian Killed

File photo: Dave Colon

The year 2020 is picking up right where bloody 2019 left off: a Queens pedestrian was killed on Northern Boulevard, and her killer was not charged.

According to the NYPD, 74-year-old Ok Kang was crossing the deadly roadway near Parsons Boulevard at around 6 p.m. on  New Year’s Day when she was hit by the driver of a 2015 Jeep Cherokee that was traveling westbound at a speed that the police did not release.

Kang was taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital, where she died. The driver, 43, remained on the scene and was not charged.

In 2019, New York City roadway deaths increased for the first time in the de Blasio adminstration, rising by nearly 10 percent to 219 deaths.

Queens seniors were particularly susceptible. Drivers are rarely charged, a Streetsblog analysis found.

Last year, Northern Boulevard earned the bitter nickname “The Boulevard of Death” after seven pedestrians had been killed between January, 2017, and September, 2018, including a man who was killed near the same location as Wednesday’s fatal crash.

Since then, at least three more pedestrians have been killed.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Streetsblog’s ‘Car-Free Carolers’ Bring the Joy, Mirth and Ho-Ho-Hope to this Holiday Season

Streetsblog's singers are back, belting out their parody classics to make a serious point: New York's roadways don't have to be dangerous places for kids and lungs, but can be joyous spaces for people to walk around, shop, eat or just ... hang out.

December 18, 2025

At Last: Council To Pass Delivery Worker Deactivation Protections

At its final full meeting, the Council is poised to deliver protections to delivery workers.

December 18, 2025

Serious Traffic Injuries Went Up This Summer Under Adams, Bucking a Trend

The city recorded a 5-percent increase in serious injuries in the most-recent quarter, though overall injuries are down.

December 18, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: The Parks Mayor Edition

A coalition of greenspace-loving groups is demanding that Zohran Mamdani make good on his promise to raise the Parks Department's budget. Plus other news.

December 18, 2025

Mamdani Vows To Appeal Ruling that Killed DOT’s Astoria Bike Lane

The city has yet to appeal the nearly two-week-old ruling — but a new mayor says he'll change that pronto.

December 17, 2025

OPINION: I Led the Campaign To Get Cars Out Of Central Park, But I Strongly Oppose an E-Bike Ban

People now calling for a ban on e-bikes seem to forget what the park was like before cars were banned. It was way worse.

December 17, 2025
See all posts