Driver Charged After Baby Killed in Rosebank Crosswalk
City records show a driver failed to yield while turning at Scarboro Avenue and Abbott Street; police said Shannon Cocozza hit Lian Mashini and her mother, and Lian died at a hospital.
What We Know
On May 26, 2022, a driver in an SUV was making a left turn at Scarboro Avenue and Abbott Street in Staten Island when she failed to yield, city crash records show. Gothamist, citing police, reported that 40-year-old Shannon Cocozza was driving a white Jeep Cherokee and hit 1-year-old Lian Mashini and her mother as they crossed the street in Rosebank. First responders took both pedestrians to Staten Island University North Hospital, where Lian died; police said her mother was in stable condition. Police charged Cocozza with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care, and reported that she remained at the scene.
Police said the driver was turning when she hit a mother and child
The crash happened at about 7:05 a.m. on May 26, 2022, at Scarboro Avenue and Abbott Street. City records list a driver in a sport utility vehicle making a left turn and a contributing factor of failure to yield right-of-way.
Gothamist reported, citing police, that Shannon Cocozza, 40, was driving a white Jeep Cherokee and turning left onto Abbott Street from Scarboro Avenue when she hit 1-year-old Lian Mashini and her mother as they crossed the street.
Scarboro Avenue has seen repeated crashes since 2022
The collision happened at Scarboro Avenue and Abbott Street in Staten Island’s Rosebank area. CrashCountNYC location data for Scarboro Avenue in Staten Island shows 10 crashes, 3 injuries and 1 death since 2022.
Lian Mashini died after being taken to the hospital
City records identify the person killed as a 1-year-old girl who was crossing in a marked crosswalk at the intersection. Gothamist, citing police, identified her as Lian Mashini and reported that first responders took her and her mother to Staten Island University North Hospital, where Lian died. Police said her mother was in stable condition.
Police charged the driver after the fatal crash
Police arrested Cocozza and charged her with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care, Gothamist reported. The outlet also reported that she remained at the scene, and that surveillance footage showed her getting out and approaching the mother and child.