Fleeing Driver Kills Pedestrian at Ralph and Macon
A driver fleeing police at high speed hit a 67-year-old woman crossing with the signal at Ralph Avenue and Macon Street in Brooklyn on June 25, 2022, killing her and critically injuring her 8-year-old grandson, according to the official record and press accounts.
What We Know
Police accounts reported by Gothamist and the Daily News said officers approached a vehicle with mismatched plates they suspected was stolen, and the driver sped away in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Near Ralph Avenue and Macon Street, the driver hit a 67-year-old woman who the official record says was crossing with the signal, and also hit her 8-year-old grandson, a cyclist and another pedestrian; a Honda driver was also injured. The official record lists one pedestrian killed and four people injured, with unsafe speed and improper passing or lane use recorded for the crash. The Daily News said the woman was returning from Saratoga Park with her grandson.
A police stop became a deadly flight
Gothamist reported that officers said they approached two people in a vehicle with mismatched plates that they suspected was stolen. Police said the driver fled at an extremely high rate of speed, veered into oncoming traffic, hit a cyclist head-on, then hit the 67-year-old woman and her 8-year-old grandson near the crosswalk at Ralph Avenue and Macon Street.
The official record says the woman was a pedestrian at the intersection and was crossing with the signal. It records one person killed and four people injured: two pedestrians, one cyclist and one motorist.
Ralph Avenue has a long crash record
The crash happened at Ralph Avenue and Macon Street in Brooklyn.
CrashCountNYC location data for Ralph Avenue in Brooklyn shows 1,168 crashes, 774 injuries, 52 serious injuries and 3 deaths since 2022.
The woman was walking home with family
The Daily News reported that the woman was returning from Saratoga Park with her 8-year-old grandson, Jacob Butler, when the driver hit them. The article identified her as Lyn Christopher; Gothamist identified her as Lynn Christopher.
The Daily News reported that Jacob’s 18-year-old sister was walking a few steps ahead when her brother and grandmother were hit. Gothamist reported that the boy remained hospitalized in critical condition the next day.
The official record and press accounts describe multiple people and vehicles in the crash path
The official vehicle record lists a northbound 2021 Honda SUV going straight before the crash. The Daily News described the driver as using a likely stolen Honda HR-V.
The official record also lists a parked Nissan SUV, a westbound Honda sedan, a parked e-bike and a southbound bicycle. Gothamist reported that police said the fleeing driver also hit a Honda Accord driver and a third pedestrian on the sidewalk.
Speed and lane use were central to the record
The official crash record lists unsafe speed and improper passing or lane use as contributing factors for the crash. The vehicle record for the northbound Honda SUV also lists unsafe speed and disregarding traffic control.
Those entries match the police account reported by Gothamist, which said the driver fled at an extremely high rate of speed and veered into oncoming traffic before hitting people near the intersection.
Police took one occupant into custody while searching for another
Gothamist reported that one occupant was taken into custody and another fled the scene. As of the article’s publication, police said no charges had been filed.
At a press conference, Mayor Eric Adams used the crash to criticize bail reform while saying he did not have information about the suspects. Gothamist also reported that Councilmember Chi Ossé called the crash a failure of policy and infrastructure, and that residents described the area as a long-running speeding and reckless-driving hotspot.