Pedestrian killed on Jerome Avenue; driver later charged
A driver hit and killed a 60-year-old pedestrian on Jerome Avenue on Feb. 13, 2022; police later accused Steven Castillo of fleeing after he allegedly triggered the fatal sequence.
What We Know
Antonio Martin, 60, was killed near Jerome Avenue and Featherbed Lane in Morris Heights just before 7 p.m. on Feb. 13, 2022. The official record logged one pedestrian death and two sedans. Police accounts reported by the Daily News first described a 21-year-old BMW driver who remained at the scene and faced no immediate charges. Weeks later, police said Steven Castillo, 26, was driving a Honda Accord, hit Martin as he crossed Jerome Avenue, fled before officers arrived, and was arrested after investigators used surveillance video. Police said a second driver, in a black BMW GT5 sedan, also hit Martin and stayed at the scene.
Police later described a two-driver sequence
The official crash record says a 60-year-old male pedestrian was killed on Jerome Avenue at 6:58 p.m. on Feb. 13, 2022, and lists two sedans involved.
A Daily News report published the next day said police initially described a 21-year-old man driving a black BMW sedan hitting the pedestrian and remaining at the scene, with no immediate charges. A later Daily News report said police accused Steven Castillo, 26, of driving a Honda Accord, hitting Antonio Martin as he crossed Jerome Avenue, fleeing before officers arrived, and leaving Martin to be hit by a second driver in a black BMW GT5 sedan.
The crash happened by Featherbed Lane in Morris Heights
The official record places the fatal crash on Jerome Avenue in the Bronx. The Daily News described the location as Jerome Avenue near Featherbed Lane in Morris Heights, by a Sunoco gas station where Martin's body remained covered hours after the collision.
Antonio Martin died at the scene
Police identified the pedestrian as Antonio Martin, 60. The Daily News reported that Martin lived at a homeless shelter in Hunts Point, about two miles from where he was killed.
Police said the 21-year-old BMW driver stayed at the scene. They later identified Castillo as a Mount Eden resident and said he fled before officers arrived.
Two sedans were documented
The official record lists a northbound 2009 Honda sedan and a southbound 2010 BMW sedan, with both drivers recorded as going straight ahead before the crash. Police later told the Daily News that Castillo was driving a Honda Accord and that the second driver was in a black BMW GT5 sedan.
Investigators cited visibility and later used video
The official vehicle record for the Honda sedan listed tinted windows and obstructed or limited view. The official person record also listed pedestrian error or confusion for Martin's action in the roadway.
The Daily News reported that police used surveillance video to determine what happened before arresting Castillo.
A driver was charged weeks later
Castillo was arrested on March 2, 2022, and charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash, according to the Daily News. The earlier report said the crash remained under investigation on the night Martin died.