Two Pedestrians are Dead in Separate Crashes

Two pedestrians were killed — one in Brooklyn and one in Queens — in early morning crashes on consecutive days, police said.

The first crash — a hit and run — occurred early Thursday morning. Police say a pedestrian was in the westbound lane of 135th Avenue, a very narrow, two-way roadway in Jamaica, at around 4 a.m. when he was struck by the driver of a "dark-colored sedan" near 132nd Street.

The driver kept going. The 55-year-old pedestrian was taken to Jamaica Medical Center, where he died. Police provided no additional information, but city statistics show there were 18 crashes on just six blocks of 135th Street last year.

Almost exactly 24 hours later, a 52-year-old man was run down by the 71-year-old driver of a 2007 Honda Pilot as he tried to cross Rockaway Parkway near Skidmore Avenue in Canarsie. Police say the victim was trying to cross mid-block. The area is fraught with danger for pedestrians, thanks to a six-lane roadway that separates the city's Bay View Houses from the Parkway Shopping Center and a Key Food supermarket.

The victim was taken to Brookdale Hospital, where he died. The driver remained on the scene and was not charged.

The stretch of Rockaway Parkway (pictured below) frequently shows up in crash reports. In 2019 alone, there were 140 crashes on the half-mile stretch between Seaview Avenue and the Belt Parkway, causing injuries to one cyclist, five pedestrians and 34 motorists. A woman was killed by a driver in the same area in 2018.