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

Two Senior Pedestrians Are Killed — And No One is Charged

Pedestrians were killed on W. 125th Street (left) and 57th Avenue (right).

Two senior citizens were run down and killed by drivers in separate incidents, one in Queens and one in Harlem, police said on Friday. Neither driver was charged.

In the first incident, Rosvelt Bynum, 84, was crossing W. 125th Street at around 11 p.m. on Feb. 10 when he was run over at Lenox Avenue by the 57-year-old driver of a Mack truck that was traveling eastbound on Harlem's main thoroughfare.

The driver remained on the scene and was not charged. Bynum was taken to Harlem Hospital in critical condition. He died on Thursday.

The next day, Masae Takeda, 66, was killed by the driver of a 2019 Infinity SUV as she crossed 57th Avenue at in Elmhurst, Queens, at around 11:15 a.m. The driver, who was not identified, struck and killed her as he turned onto 57th Avenue from Van Horn Street. Police offered no other information about this case, but the New York Post reported that the driver was a cabbie. [Update: The Taxi and Limousine Commission told Streetsblog that the driver's license to operate a cab was immediately suspended.]

Both Harlem and Elmhust are extremely dangerous places for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.

Last year, along just 125th Street between First and Amsterdam avenues in Harlem, there were 500 crashes, injuring 16 cyclists, 46 pedestrians and 97 motorists.

And in Elmhurst, there were 1,840 crashes, injuring 58 cyclists, 146 pedestrians and 284 motorists.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Brooklyn Judge Once Again Declines to Rip Up Bedford Ave. Protected Bike Lane… For Now

Well-connected lawyer Frank Seddio argued against the Bedford Avenue protected bike lane in court on Tuesday.

Money for Something: Funding OK’d, But Details Missing For ‘Dept. Of Sustainable Delivery’

The mayor got the Council to sign off on $6.1 million for the long-awaited “Department of Sustainable Delivery." But what's it mean? No one is talking.

July 1, 2025

Incoming Albany Mayor Could Help Safe Streets Movement Statewide

The state capital is built for the car and that is how it is experienced by our lawmakers. But could that change under a new mayor? Here's hoping.

July 1, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Another Child Sacrificed to the SUV Edition

Stop de kindermoord! An 8-year-old boy killed by an SUV driver is the latest victim of America's obsession with big cars. Plus other news.

July 1, 2025

DOT Testimony: Removing Bedford Ave. Bike Lane Will ‘Reduce Safety’

"Removing the protected bike lane won’t remove cyclists — it will only make the street less safe," the DOT said. "The city risks legal liability for knowingly reducing safety on a Vision Zero priority corridor."

June 30, 2025

Hochul Signs Speed Camera Reauthorization, Enforcement Continues Through 2030

Stating a clear fact that scores of state legislators reject, Hochul said, "Speed cameras save lives and keep New Yorkers safe."

June 30, 2025
See all posts