Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Today's Headlines

Friday’s Headlines: East Flatbush Car Death Tragedy Edition

As the NYPD cracks down on cyclists, drivers are still killing seniors. Plus other news (including our big award win!).

Photo provided by Lorna Johnson|

The aftermath of Wednesday’s crash. The person who struck and killed Maurette Lafleur was driving the car in the right lane, according to a witness.

A 68-year-old woman is dead after a car driver struck her as she crossed the street — in the crosswalk, with the signal to walk — in East Flatbush on Wednesday, cops said.

Streetsblog intern Jonah Schwarz visited the intersection of Rutland Road and E. 95th Street in Brooklyn where the driver of a 2025 Mercedes Benz GLC 300 struck and killed Maurette Lafleur, of nearby E. 39th Street. Cops have not released the 64-year-old driver's name.

Lorna Johnson, who owns Black Hair, a salon near the scene, told Schwarz she's had trouble sleeping after witnessing the tragedy unfold on Wednesday.

"The lady spin around and sped through," Johnson recalled. “I heard the van run over her and her bones crunching."

"The government should do something, like when people are walking, no cars should be moving," said the witness to the unspeakable horror.

The death of Maurette Lafleur comes as the NYPD is undertaking a massive enforcement effort against electric bikes even as the drivers of cars and trucks claim a disproportionate share of victims.

In other news:

  • A 72-year-old man killed by a car driver in a hit-and-run in Brownsville on Saturday was headed to a family cookout, the Daily News reported.
  • New Jersey Transit's locomotive engineers went on strike at midnight on Friday. Read WNYC's Clayton Guse on how the system went from bad to abysmal on congestion pricing foe Gov. Phil Murphy's watch.
  • Read more about the strike from the Post, the Daily News, the Times, CBS New York and the Bergen Record.
  • Forget Newark Airport, Sean Duffy is laser focused on ensuring more bike-on-pedestrian crashes on the Queensboro Bridge. (Duffy via X)
  • Related: Well, uh, don't expect Duffy on a bike any time soon. (The Cut)
  • The memo that lawyers working for the U.S. DOT accidentally uploaded to the federal court docket that cast doubt on its anti-congestion pricing legal strategy can't be used in court, a judge ruled. (NY Times)
  • Uber is spending big on five City Council races. (Crain's)
  • Open gangway subways are a hit — and more are on the way. (The City)
  • A push for more park space near Brooklyn Borough Hall has run up on an old and expected foe — court employee parking. (Gothamist)
  • Hoboken may sue to stop Murphy's Turnpike widening. (PIX11)

And finally, Streetsblog was honored to receive the Deadline Club's award for digital video reporting on Thursday night.

We submitted three short reported videos for the award — "You Can Walk Faster Than This NYC Bus," "NYPD’s Illegal Parking Has Cops In Trouble With the Feds" and "Instacart Shoppers Aren’t Covered by Minimum Wage Law." Watch them all — and much, much more — on our YouTube, TikTok and Instagram channels.

All credit goes to Streetsblog Engagement Editor Emily Lipstein, who has transformed how we reach more and bigger audiences in the little under one year since she joined our staff. Emily directs and edits nearly all of Streetsblog's video content, and shares this award with reporters (and on-screen talent) Dave Colon, Sophia Lebowitz and David Meyer.

"Within mere weeks, Emily revolutionized and professionalized Streetsblog's multi-media effort, bringing out talents on the staff that more people than Deadline Club judges are appreciating. We are so proud of her," said Streetsblog Editor-in-Chief Gersh Kuntzman.

Lipstein, who also runs and monitors Streetsbog's social media feeds joked that the award "may just make all of the death threats worth it."

We're proud to do the work that we do. Consider making a donation here.

The Deadline Club trophy was designed by Rube Goldberg himself.Photo: Gersh Kuntzman

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

BREAKING: Mayor Adams to Remove Bedford Avenue Protected Bike Lane Citing, Bizarrely, Safety

A protected bike lane that was installed last year to calm a notoriously dangerous Brooklyn corridor will be removed by the Adams administration, making the roadway less safe.

June 13, 2025

Senate Votes to Require Delivery Apps to Provide Insurance for Workers

Speed limits are fine, but what will really help crash victims is insurance.

June 13, 2025

Friday’s Video: A Recap on Mayor Adams’s ‘War on Cyclists’

Here's a nice synopsis by Emily Lipstein of how we got from a proposed "Department of Sustainable Delivery" to a criminal crackdown on bike riders.

June 13, 2025

Round and Round: No Plan for Protected Bike Lane Through 79th Street Rotunda

The Parks and Transportation departments plan to toss Hudson River greenway cyclists into the mix with highway-bound cars on the 79th Street Rotunda despite the pleas of the local community board.

June 13, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: E-Bike Trade Show Edition

So let us get this straight: The Adams administration is at once cracking down e-bikes, but also giving workers safe e-bikes at the same time? Plus other news.

June 13, 2025

KOMANOFF: A Philosopher Of Cycling Takes On E-Bike Speeds (Well, Sort Of)

The late Ivan Illich would have sought to limit them — among other things, says our columnist.

June 12, 2025
See all posts