Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Carnage

Queens Boulevard Pedestrian Killed — Driver Not Charged

2:56 PM EDT on March 15, 2021

The car was turning left.

A Queens pedestrian who was run down and critically injured by a driver in broad daylight on a notorious stretch of Queens Boulevard has died as a result of his injuries, police said on Monday.

According to cops, Jaipaul Persaud, 55, had been crossing the former "Boulevard of Death" from south to north at around 1:40 p.m. on Friday when the driver of a 2013 Hyundai slammed into him as she made a left turn from 84th Drive. Both the driver and the pedestrian had the light — but it is state law that drivers must yield to pedestrians.

Yet the 33-year-old driver was not charged. She stayed at the scene while Persaud, who lived in nearby Jamaica, was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he died on Sunday. Streetsblog asked the NYPD for an update on charges and was told that the investigation is ongoing.

Persaud is the 21st pedestrian killed so far this year on New York City streets, down from 26 last year, just as the pandemic kicked in. Twenty-one pedestrians is the lowest number in this portion of a year since the same number of deaths was recorded 2015. Though lower than previous years, it still means that scores of pedestrians will be killed by the end of 2021, the last year of Mayor de Blasio's tenure.

The stretch of Queens Boulevard where Persaud was killed is not part of the city's stalled effort to change the fate of that dangerous roadway — one last phase of which remains to be completed. As a result, it remains an area of constant danger to pedestrians. In 2019, just in the five blocks on either side of the crash scene, there were 161 crashes in 2019, injuring one cyclist, four pedestrians and 19 motorists, according to data compiled by Crashmapper.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Labor Gains: Judge Tosses App Giants’ Suit to Stop Deliverista Minimum Wage

Justice Nicholas Moyne cleared the way for a long-delayed wage hike for workers who brave dangerous roads to bring food directly to New Yorkers.

September 29, 2023

Fed Up Bronxites Tell Mayor To Forget About Bus Ride Invitation After Fordham Road ‘Betrayal’

"I really would think that our mayor would be a little bit more active and speak with us, because he hasn't really made any time with riders. We're not the enemy. We just want better bus service."

September 29, 2023

City Pays $150K to Settle Suit Over Cops Who Harassed Man Who Reported Police Parking Misconduct

Justin Sherwood and his lawyer will pocket $152,000 to settle his federal civil rights suit against the city and several officers who harassed him following his 311 calls.

September 28, 2023

Police Brass Gets Booed During E-Vehicle Safety Alliance Meeting for Applauding Deliveristas

Attendees of the E-Vehicle Safety Alliance's latest meeting castigated a Transportation Bureau deputy inspector for saying that delivery workers are responsive to safety issues.

September 28, 2023
See all posts