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Collision Investigation Squad

In Memoriam 2019: The Lives We Lost (And The Drivers Who Weren’t Charged)

Just a few of the 219 people who were killed on NYC streets in 2019.

Last year was the first year since the launch of Vision Zero in 2014 that the number of traffic fatalities increased.

In 2019, 219 people died as a result of vehicle crashes in the five boroughs — up from 203 in 2018. The dead include 29 cyclists, a triple-digit percentage increase from 2018, when 10 were killed; and 122 pedestrians — up from 115 in 2018.

Broken down by borough, eight people were killed in Staten Island, 27 in the Bronx (though no cyclists), 41 in Manhattan, 69 in Queens, and 74 in Brooklyn.  The majority of dead cyclists — 18 — was in Brooklyn. The plurality of dead pedestrians — 34 — was also in Brooklyn.

The primary culprit remains reckless drivers.

Yet reckless drivers are so rarely charged: Car and truck drivers killed a combined 148 pedestrians and cyclists in 2019, yet 76 — more than half! — have not been charged.

Breaking that down, only six drivers who killed cyclists were charged — a rate of roughly one in five. And only 58 percent of drivers who killed pedestrians have received so much as a summons.

Looking at the totality of the charges and matching them, case-by-case, to the deaths, it is difficult to understand why some drivers are punished and others are not. In some cases, the motorist was simply let off the hook by law enforcement — but other times, the driver flees and has not been found, or police cannot prove that it was one driver behind the wheel at the time of the fatal crash.

"There's a number of obstacles and not the least of which is sometimes it's identifying the car is not the whole story. It's then who's driving the car and proving that they were in the car," said NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea during an unrelated press conference on crime statistics after initial publication of this story.

[Editor's note: In the weeks leading up to the new year, Streetsblog reached out repeatedly to the NYPD for updates on drivers who were not immediately charged, but may have been charged in the weeks and months after a crash. Our goal was to let the public see the results of investigations, which do indeed sometimes lead to charges. The NYPD did not respond to multiple emails, calls, an in-person visit to NYPD headquarters, and personal button-holing at cocktail parties. It is absolutely incomprehensible why the agency charged with bringing criminals to justice would not provide details of instances when it had, in fact, done so. So instead, Streetsblog culled various NYPD social media accounts, reviewed news reports, scoured publicly available data to compile this report. We apologize that some victims remain unidentified, but that information was also not provided by the NYPD.]

To honor the dead, we present our annual tribute to the people lost this year to violent drivers. Please share your remembrances in the comments section.

January

Hugo Garcia was doored and then run over on Third Avenue on New Year's Day, 2019. Photo: Garcia family
Hugo Garcia was doored and then run over on Third Avenue on New Year's Day, 2019. Photo: Garcia family

Hugo Alexander Sinto Garcia (left)
On Jan. 1 a driver hit and killed the 26-year-old after police said he was doored into traffic while riding an e-bike at 28th Street and Third Avenue in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver who fatally struck Garcia, but the driver who doored him was fined for unsafely opening his door.

Unidentified 
On Jan. 2, 2019, a driver hit and killed the 77-year-old as police said he was crossing Cropsey Avenue mid-block near Bay 32nd Street in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Hector Ayala Jr.
On Jan. 4, 2019, a driver hit and killed the 41-year-old as police said he was biking against traffic on Crescent Street near Linden Boulevard in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Maria Cruz
On Jan. 8, a driver hit and killed the 80-year-old as she was walking on Willis Avenue and 138th Street in the Bronx.

The driver, who was suspended from DSNY, was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.

Eashwari Reddy
On Jan. 10, a driver hit and killed the 76-year-old as police said she was crossing Woodhaven Boulevard mid-block near 62nd Road in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Jose Rubi
On Jan. 11, a driver hit and killed the 51-year-old as police said he was crossing Vandervoort Avenue mid-block near Maspeth Avenue in Brooklyn.

The driver was charged with failure to yield.

Miguel Hernandez
On Jan. 11, a driver hit and killed the 88-year-old as police said he was crossing Broadway near Crescent Street in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Fernando Trejo
On Jan. 14, a hit-and-run driver killed the 27-year-old as police said he was walking near 52nd Street and Third Ave in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Gail Ackerman
On Jan. 20, a driver hit and killed the 77-year-old as police said she was crossing Avenue U in the crosswalk near East 29th Street in Brooklyn.

The driver was charged with failure to yield.

Peter Awn
Peter Awn

Peter Awn (left)
On Jan. 25, a driver hit and killed the 75-year-old as police said he crossed Claremont Avenue near W. 116th Street in Manhattan.

Awn was a beloved dean at Columbia University, one block away.

The driver was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due.

Susan Moses
On Jan. 26, a driver hit and killed the 63-year-old as police said "she collided" with an SUV Kings Highway near Van Sicklen Street in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Mei Zhuan
On Jan. 29, a driver hit and killed the 64-year-old after police said a driver backed up into a parking spot on E. 91st Street near Park Avenue in Manhattan.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

February

Chaim Joseph
On Feb. 4, a hit-and-run oil truck driver hit and killed the 72-year-old cyclist as police said he was biking near 45th Street and Eighth Avenue in Manhattan.

The driver was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.

Xiu Xi Pu
On Feb. 5, a driver hit and killed the 80-year-old as police said she was crossing 251st Street near 63rd Avenue in Queens.

The driver was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.

Agnes Egan
On Feb. 14, a hit-and-run school bus driver killed the 68-year-old as police said she crossed Story Avenue near Havemeyer Street in the Bronx.

The driver was charged with leaving the scene, failure to yield, and failure to exercise due care.

Sarah Foster
On Feb. 15, a driver hit and killed the 27-year-old as police said she was walking across E. 37th Street in the crosswalk near Third Avenue in Manhattan.

The driver was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.

Ping Chung
On Feb. 21, a driver hit and killed the 57-year-old as police said he was crossing Flushing Avenue near Woodward Avenue in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Aurilla Lawrence
Aurilla Lawrence

Aurilla Lawrence (left)
On Feb. 28, a hit-and-run truck driver killed the 25-year-old as police said she was biking on Broadway near Rodney Street in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

March

Unidentified 
On March 4, an MTA bus driver hit and killed a man as police said he was crossing Roosevelt Avenue near 75th Street in Queens.

No charges were filed against the driver.

Stella Clinton
On March 6, a driver hit and killed the 85-year-old after police said the driver reversed into his driveway on Avenue S near Haring Street in Brooklyn.

No charges were filed against the driver.

Evaristo Mercado
On March 9, a driver hit and killed the 82-year-old as police said he crossed Maujer Street in the crosswalk near Bushwick Avenue in Brooklyn.

The driver was charged with failure to yield.

Salvatore Pierro
On March 10, a driver hit and killed the 71-year-old as police said he crossed Arden Avenue in the crosswalk near Annadale Road in Staten Island.

The driver was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due.

Dolly Green
On March 10, a driver hit and killed the 78-year-old as police said she was walking near Farmers Boulevard and 182nd Street in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Unidentified 
On March 11, a school bus driver hit and killed an 80-year-old pedestrian as police said she was crossing Boston Road in the crosswalk near Wilkins Avenue in the Bronx.

The driver was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due.

Raymond Baffuto
On March 12, a hit-and-run driver killed the 52-year-old as police said he tried to cross the Bruckner Boulevard Service Road near Country Club Road in the Bronx.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Bobbie Lewis
On March 12, a hit-and-run driver killed the 51-year-old as police said he tried to cross Linden Boulevard near Barbey Street in Brooklyn.

The driver was charged with leaving the scene.

Robert Spencer
On March 14, a driver hit and killed the 53-year-old cyclist as police said he was riding on Borden Avenue near Second Street in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Erica Imbasciani
On March 22, a hit-and-run driver killed the 26-year-old as police said she was walking on Amsterdam Avenue near W. 141st Street in Manhattan.

The driver was charged with a slew of charges, including vehicular manslaughter, leaving the scene, operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs, and aggravated unlicensed operator.

Michael Worsley
On March 30, a driver hit and killed the 31-year-old as police said he was walking on Linden Boulevard near Hendrix Street in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

April

Linda Douglas
On April 3, a hit-and-run truck driver killed the 67-year-old as police said she crossed Flatbush Avenue near Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Arlene Kalfus
On April 5, a driver hit and killed the 81-year-old woman as police said she crossed South End Avenue mid-block near Liberty Avenue in Manhattan.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Unidentified 
On April 7, two separate drivers hit and killed a pedestrian as police said he crossed Sunrise Highway in the marked crosswalk near Brookville Boulevard in Queens.

One of the drivers was charged with aggravated unlicensed operator, failure to exercise due care, and failure to yield.

Cameron Brown
On April 17, a driver hit and killed a 7-year-old boy after police said he had just exited a school bus on Gipson Street near Hollywood Court in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Pedro Tepozteco
On April 17, a driver hit and killed the 26-year-old cyclist after police said he "fell into the side of the truck" on 17th Avenue near 47th Street in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Anastasia Diaz
On April 20, a driver hit and killed the 89-year-old woman as police said she tried to cross Bradley Avenue near Purdy Avenue in Staten Island.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Donna Sturm
Donna Sturm

Donna Sturm (right)
On April 24, a cyclist hit and killed the 67-year-old woman as police said she crossed W. 57th Street in the crosswalk near Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

The biker was charged with reckless endangerment, a charge that is rarely leveled against drivers who do the same thing.

Youfeng Xu
On April 27, a driver hit and killed the 72-year-old as police said she was crossing Seventh Avenue with the light near 55th Street in Brooklyn.

The driver was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.

Victor Ang
On April 27, a driver hit and killed the 74-year-old cyclist as police said he was biking on Eleventh Avenue near Hudson Yards in Manhattan.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

May

Maria Ruiz-Amaya
On May 1, a driver struck and killed the 67-year-old as police said she was crossing 108th Street near 48th Avenue in Queens.

The driver was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.

Emur Shavkator
On May 2, a driver hit and killed a 3-year-old boy as police said he was riding his scooter in the crosswalk on Benson Avenue near Bay 25th Street and in Brooklyn.

The driver was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.

Postal Service victim Charles McClean, kneeling on the right, with his brother Arkim (also kneeling), Gregory (top left) and Reggie (center). A nephew is on the top right. Photo: McClean family.
Postal Service victim Charles McClean, kneeling on the right, with his brother Arkim (also kneeling), Gregory (top left) and Reggie (center). A nephew is on the top right. Photo: McClean family.

Charles McClean (bottom right in photo)
On May 3, a Postal Service driver hit and killed a 52-year-old as he was crossing in the crosswalk near Macdougal Street and Howard Avenue in Brooklyn, police say. A video showed that the driver rolled through a red light.

No charges have been filed against the driver. The Postal Service refuses to discuss if the driver has even been disciplined.

Lillian Muller
On May 8, a driver hit and killed the 93-year-old woman as police said she crossed the street in the crosswalk near Queens Plaza and 27th Street in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Unidentified 
On May 11, a dump truck driver struck and killed the 58-year-old as police said he tried to cross West 21st Street in the marked crosswalk near Mermaid Avenue in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Kenichi Nakagawa
On May 11, a driver hit and killed the 22-year-old cyclist as police said he was biking south on Dean Street near Brooklyn Avenue in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Robert Sommer
Robert Sommer

Robert Sommer (right)
On May 12, a driver struck and killed the 29-year-old cyclist as police said he tried to cross Avenue U near East 33rd Street in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Yisroel Schwartz
On May 15, a driver hit and killed the 16-year-old biker after being doored into traffic on 17th Avenue and 53rd Street in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Son Ngoc Nguyen
On May 17, a driver hit and killed the 63-year-old after police said the driver backed up, pinning him against a wall on Morgan Avenue near Jackson Street in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Unidentified 
On May 18, a yellow taxi driver hit and killed an 80-year-old woman as police said she was walking near Centre Street and Broome Street in Manhattan.

The driver was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.

Leon Frazier
On May 25, a driver hit and killed the 55-year-old as police said he tried to cross Lenox Avenue near West 112th Street in Manhattan.

No charges were filed against the driver.

June

Faquan Li
On June 9, a driver hit and killed the 67-year-old as police said he was crossing Cropsey Avenue near 16th Avenue in Brooklyn.

The driver was charged with aggravated unlicensed operator.

Mohammed Abdullah
On June 9, a driver hit and killed the 29-year-old as police said he was riding his e-bike on Avenue D near East 105th Street in Manhattan.

The driver was charged with a slew of charges, including manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and driving while intoxicated.

Christopher Nieves
On June 16, a hit-and-run driver killed the 37-year-old as police said he was crossing the Bruckner Boulevard service road near Austin Place in the Bronx.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Paul Chipkin
On June 20, a driver hit and killed the 74-year-old as police said he was standing in the street on Ralph Avenue near Sterling Place in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Unidentified 
On June 22, a driver hit and killed the pedestrian as police said he was crossing Main Street mid-block near 59th Avenue in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Robyn Hightman
Robyn Hightman

Robyn Hightman (right)
On June 24, a driver hit and killed the 20-year-old cyclist on Sixth Avenue near 23rd Street in Manhattan, police said. Initially, the driver left the scene, but later returned.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Ernest Askew
On June 27, a driver hit and killed the 57-year-old biker as police said he was riding west on Sutter Avenue near Chester Street in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Ingrid Pineda-Cuellar
On June 27, a driver hit and killed the 33-year-old woman as police said she crossed Utica Avenue in the crosswalk near Avenue L in Brooklyn.

The driver was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.

Unidentified 
On June 27, a hit-and-run driver killed a man as police said he tried to cross the Major Deegan Expressway and Mosholu Parkway in the Bronx.

The driver was charged with leaving the scene.

Unidentified 
On June 27, a driver hit and killed a 50-year-old man as police said he crossed East 5th Street and Church Avenue in in the crosswalk in Brooklyn.

The driver was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.

Gualberto Espin Delgado
On June 29, a driver hit and killed a 72-year-old as police said he was crossing 108th Street mid-block near Horace Harding Expressway in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

July

Devra Freelander
On July 1, a cement truck driver struck and killed the 28-year-old cyclist as police said she riding north on Bushwick Avenue near Boerum Street in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Cleo Fields
On July 7, a driver going the wrong way hit and killed the 65-year-old as police said he was crossing  Frederick Douglass Boulevard near West 128th Street in Manhattan.

The driver was charged with manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and reckless driving.

Maria Del Carmen Porras-Hernandez
On July 8, a driver hit and killed the 49-year-old as police said she was crossing Coney Island Avenue in the marked crosswalk near Church Avenue in Brooklyn.

The driver was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.

Edwin Otero
On July 14, a driver hit and killed the 59-year-old as police said he was crossing the Belt Parkway at 135th Place in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Alfred Pocari
On July 19, a driver hit and killed the 62-year-old as police said he was walking on West End Avenue near West 98th Street in Manhattan.

The driver was charged with manslaughter.

Alex Cordero
Alex Cordero

Alex Cordero (right)
On July 23, a tow truck driver hit and killed the 16-year-old cyclist as police said he was biking west on Castleton Avenue near Clove Road in Staten Island.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Liem Nhan
On July 23, a driver hit and killed the 58-year-old cyclist as police said he "made contact with a box truck" on McGuinness Avenue near Norman Avenue in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Sivananaintha Perumal
On July 25, a hit-and-run driver hit and killed the 56-year-old as police said he was crossing Woodhaven Boulevard near 91st Avenue in Queens.

The driver was charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene, and reckless endangerment.

Jan Galej
On July 28, a driver hit and killed the 55-year-old as police said he was crossing 62nd Street near Myrtle Avenue in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Em Samolewicz
Em Samolewicz
Em Samolewicz

Em Samolewicz (right)
On July 29, a truck driver hit and killed the 30-year-old after police said she was doored into traffic on Third Avenue near 36th Street in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver who fatally ran over Samolewicz, but the driver who doored her was fined for unsafely opening his door.

Jesus Cepeda
On July 30, a driver hit and killed the 59-year-old as police said the driver was reversing his double-parked SUV on East 44th Street near Second Avenue in Manhattan.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

August

Unidentified 
On August 5, a driver hit and killed a 52-year-old as police said she was crossing Grand Concourse near East 192nd Street in the Bronx.

The driver was charged with aggravated unlicensed operator.

Ruilian Huang
On August 5, a hit-and-run driver killed the 66-year-old as police said she was crossing Belmont Avenue in the crosswalk near Rockaway Avenue in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Melissa McClure
On August 10, a driver hit and killed the 67-year-old as police said she crossed West 15th Street in the crosswalk near Sixth Avenue in Manhattan.

The driver was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.

Natasha Mar
On August 11, a drunk driver hit and killed the 33-year-old as police said she was waiting for a bus at the corner of Jerome Avenue and Bainbridge Avenue in the Bronx.

Jose Alzorriz
Jose Alzorriz

The driver was charged with assault.

Jose Alzorriz (right)
On August 11, a speeding driver hit ran a red light and slammed into another car with such force that the struck vehicle careened into the 52-year-old cyclist Alzorriz as he was waiting for a red light on Coney Island Avenue near Avenue L, police said.

The horrifying death — which was caught on video — shocked the city, prompting cops to charge the driver with more counts than are typical: among them, manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, vehicular assault and reckless endangerment.

Isabel Ramirez-Cohetero
On Aug. 17, a driver hit and killed his 51-year-old wife as police said the car, left in reverse, rolled backwards and he accidentally hit the gas pedal at a gas station on Eliot Avenue near 61st Street in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Michael Gayle
On Aug. 21, a driver hit and killed the 57-year-old as police said he crossed Boston Road at Pelham Parkway North in the Bronx.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Unidentified 
On August 26, a driver struck and killed the 49-year-old as police said he was sleeping on the sidewalk on Coney Island Avenue near Avenue H in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Charles Cheeseboro
On August 26, an e-bike rider was killed after colliding with a pedestrian on East Drive and 74th Street in Manhattan.

No charges have been filed.

Ronald Nival
On August 29, a hit-and-run dump truck driver killed the 21-year-old as police said he tried to cross the Cross Bronx Expressway near the exit ramp to White Plains Road in the Bronx.

The driver was charged with leaving the scene.

Alesha Henderson
On August 29, a hit-and-run driver killed the 33-year-old as police she crossed near the on-ramp for the FDR Drive near East 116th Street in Manhattan.

The driver was charged with leaving the scene, failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.

September

Mardichai Yovits
On September 2, a driver hit and killed the 3-year-old boy when police said he ran into traffic on Virginia Street near Caffrey Avenue in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Donald Roberts
On Sept. 2, a driver intentionally hit and killed the 47-year-old cyclist after police said he allegedly broke into the driver's car on Broadway near Ellery Street in Brooklyn.

The driver was charged with murder and manslaughter.

MD Abul Bashar
On Sept. 8, the driver of a private sanitation truck hit and killed the 62-year-old e-bike rider as police said he was biking on Third Avenue near 12th Street in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Enzo Farachio
On Sept. 10, a driver hit and killed the 10-year-old boy as police said he was waiting for the bus on the sidewalk on Ocean Avenue near Avenue L in Brooklyn. The driver claimed he had a "medical episode."

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Juan Mendez
On Sept. 12, a driver hit and killed the 72-year-old as police said he was standing in a security booth on Paidge Avenue near Provost Avenue in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Kassim Matthews
On Sept. 15, police said a hit-and-run driver killed the 30-year-old on Albany Avenue near Park Place in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Luz Ortega
On Sept. 16, a driver hit and killed the 74-year-old as police said she crossed 49th Avenue mid-block near 104th Street in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Djeneba Magassa
On Sept. 17, a driver hit and killed the 1-year-old girl as police said she sat in her stroller on the sidewalk on East 215th Street near White Plains Road in the Bronx.

The driver was charged with reckless driving, driving without a license, and failure yield.

Luis Cardona
On Sept. 17, a driver hit and killed the 85-year-old as police said he was crossing the road inside the crosswalk near 170th Street and 89th Avenue in Queens.

The driver was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.

Mario Valenzuela
On Sept. 21, a private sanitation truck driver hit and killed the 13-year-old cyclist as police said he was biking eastbound on Borden Avenue near 11th Street in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Elou Rakhminov
On Sept. 21, a driver hit and killed the 75-year-old as police said he was crossing Jewel Avenue near 141st Street in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Luis Garcia
Luis Garcia
Luis Garcia

Luis Garcia (right)
On Sept. 24, a driver hit and killed the 33-year-old as police said he crossed Flatbush Avenue near Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver, who had multiple speeding tickets on his record.

Ada Martinez
On Sept. 27, a driver hit and killed the 66-year-old cyclist as police said she tried to turn left "directly in the path of [the van]" on Beach 94th Street near Rockaway Freeway in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

October

Olig Korablev
On Oct. 1, a hit-and-run driver killed the 65-year-old as police said he was crossing near Rockaway Boulevard and Brookville Boulevard in Queens.

The driver was charged with leaving the scene.

Kim Mar
On Oct. 3, a driver hit and killed a 34-year-old as police said she crossed Union Turnpike near Lakeville Road in Queens.

The driver was charged with failure to yield.

Dalerjon Shahobiddinov
On Oct. 5, a driver hit and killed the 10-year-old cyclist as police said he was riding his bike in the crosswalk on Seton Place and Foster Avenue in Brooklyn.

The driver was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.

Olga Feldman
On Oct. 12, a driver hit and killed the 72-year-old as police said she crossed Church Avenue near East 4th Street in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Eternity Stevens
On Oct. 12, a drunk driver hit and killed the 19-year-old after police said the driver rear ended her on an e-scooter on Rockaway Boulevard near Guy R. Brewer Boulevard in Queens.

The driver was charged with leaving the scene, vehicular assault, and driving while intoxicated.

Bogdan Darmetko, who was killed by a driver on a route that was known to be dangerous. Photo: Facebook
Bogdan Darmetko

Bogdan Darmetko (right)
On Oct. 13, a driver hit and killed the 65-year-old cyclist as police said he was biking on Cross Bay Boulevard near East 4th Road in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Sheryl Augustine
On Oct. 16, a hit-and-run driver hit and killed the 66-year-old as police said she was crossing Ocean Avenue and Emmons Avenue in Brooklyn.

The driver was charged with leaving the scene, failure to yield, and disobeying a traffic device.

German Gutierrez
On Oct. 27, a driver killed the 50-year-old as police said he crossed Astoria Boulevard outside of the marked crosswalk near 93rd Street in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Gilberta Hernandez
On Oct. 29, a driver hit and killed the 49-year-old as police said she crossed Bay Parkway in the crosswalk at Benson Avenue in Brooklyn.

The driver was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.

Yevgeny Meskin
On Oct. 30, a driver hit and killed the 87-year-old cyclist as police said he "entered the roadway...against the traffic signal" on Ocean Parkway at Avenue P in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

November

Bibi Zulaikah
On Nov. 5, a hit-and-run driver killed a 60-year-old after police said the driver abandoned a running, stolen car that then crashed into the victim on the sidewalk on Sutphin Boulevard and Archer Avenue in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Bing Nuan Chen
On Nov. 6, a school bus driver hit and killed an 83-year-old as police said he crossed 67th Drive near 73rd Place in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Unidentified 
On Nov. 7, a hit-and-run driver killed a 61-year-old after police said he fainted in the middle of the roadway at West 40th Street and 8th Avenue in Manhattan.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Matt Travis
Matt Travis

Matthew (Travis) Palacios (right)
On Nov. 9, a hit-and-run dump truck driver killed the 25-year-old cyclist as police said the driver made an illegal left turn from First Avenue onto E. 125th Street at the foot of the Willis Avenue Bridge in Manhattan.

The driver was charged with reckless driving, failure to yield, and failure due care. But he was not charged with fleeing the scene.

Unidentified 
On Nov. 16, a driver hit and killed a 56-year-old after police said he "fell onto the rear passenger side of the vehicle" while crossing Bronx River Avenue at Westchester Avenue in the Bronx.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Adela Hernandez
On Nov. 25, a driver hit and killed the 69-year-old as police said she was crossing 162nd Street near 46th Avenue in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Choekyi Norzom
On Nov. 29, a driver hit and killed a 49-year-old in the crosswalk after police said the driver turned onto Roosevelt Avenue from 65th Street in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Unidentified 
On Nov. 30, police said a hit-and-run driver killed a woman at Atlantic Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Meena Bagga
On Nov. 30, a driver hit and killed the 74-year-old as police said she crossed 80th Avenue in the crosswalk near 260th Street in Queens.

The driver was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.

December

Yaosen Tan 
On Dec. 2, a taxi driver hit and killed the 53-year-old after police said he "emerged from between two parked vehicles" and crossed outside the crosswalk at Avenue V and West 11th Street in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Michael Kosanovich
On Dec. 6, police said a driverless car struck and killed the 21-year-old after the car’s owner started it remotely on 148th Street near Foch Boulevard in Queens.

No charges have been filed.

Ellyn Berman
On Dec. 7, a truck driver fatally struck the 85-year-old woman as she crossed Broadway in the crosswalk near W. 61st Street in Manhattan.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Bertin Dejesus
On Dec. 9, a pick-up truck driver killed the 3-year-old boy after police said the driver turned left, striking the boy as his mother pushed him in his stroller across First Avenue near East 116th Street in Manhattan.

The driver was charged with failure to yield, failure to exercise due care, and reckless driving. 

Alberto Zamacona
On Dec. 11, a drunk hit-and-run driver killed the 47-year-old who police said was walking in the crosswalk at Broadway and 60th Street in Queens.

The driver was charged with a slew of charges, including assault, failure to yield, leaving the scene, and driving while intoxicated. 

Kwok Cheung
On Dec. 11, a driver hit and killed the 63-year-old after police said the driver blew through a stop sign, hitting the victim as he crossed Onderdonk Avenue near Gates Avenue in Queens.

The driver was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care. 

Misa Gorlitskaya 
On Dec. 13, a driver hit and killed the 80-year-old as police said she crossed Voorhies Avenue near Haring Street in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver. 

Daniel Cammerman
Daniel Cammerman was killed on his bike on Dec. 18, 2019 in Central Park.

Daniel Cammerman (right)
On Dec. 18, a school bus driver hit and killed the 50-year-old cyclist as police said he was biking on the 96th Street traverse in Central Park.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Xue You
On Dec. 18, a driver hit and killed the 75-year-old as police said she was crossing 52nd Street near Eighth Avenue in Brooklyn.

The driver was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.

Zhisheng Lin
On Dec. 18, a driver hit and killed the 67-year-old as police said he was walking on the sidewalk on Sanford Avenue near Main Street in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Katherine Miller
On Dec. 19, a truck driver hit and killed the 26-year-old woman after police said the driver reversed, hitting the victim as she crossed Broadway near Howard Street in Manhattan.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Brendan Gill
On Dec. 19, a truck driver hit and killed the 85-year-old as police said he was crossing Third Avenue near East 39th Street in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Unidentified 
On Dec. 20, police said a private sanitation truck driver hit and killed 36-year-old Joshua Geyer on West 49th Street near 10th Avenue in Manhattan.

The driver was charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.

Andres Stylianou
On Dec. 20, the driver of three separate vehicles hit and killed the 57-year-old as police said he crossed Third Avenue near Seventh Street in Brooklyn.

No charges have been filed against the driver. The mayor attended Stylianou's wake, the only memorial to a victim of road violence so honored. A City Hall spokeswoman said the mayor knew Stylianou because he was his car mechanic.

Ainsley Dalrymple
On Dec. 25, a hit-and-run driver killed the 67-year-old as police said he was crossing Rockaway Boulevard near 114th Street in Queens.

No charges have been filed against the driver.

Unidentified 
On Dec. 31, a drunk driver hit and killed a pedestrian who police said was crossing mid-block at East 125th Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan.

The driver was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving while intoxicated.

Update: Following publication, readers have reached out to identify some previously unidentified victims and correct details of their deaths. 

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