Driver accused in deadly Myrtle Avenue hit-and-run
Police crash data recorded one pedestrian killed on Myrtle Avenue at 7:40 p.m.; press reports identified him as Be Tran, a 74-year-old food delivery worker, and said Florin Stoian was later arrested in the hit-and-run.
What We Know
A driver in a BMW SUV hit and killed a 74-year-old man crossing Myrtle Avenue in Queens on a Sunday evening. According to the police report, the eastbound driver went straight and hit the pedestrian with the front of the SUV while traveling at unsafe speed. Police recorded unsafe speed and driver inattention or distraction as contributing factors. The crash happened after dark on a weekend evening.
A crossing pedestrian was killed on Myrtle Avenue
The city crash record says the collision happened on Myrtle Avenue at 7:40 p.m. on Aug. 14, 2022, and recorded one pedestrian killed. The fatal pedestrian was a 74-year-old man who was crossing outside an intersection or crosswalk.
ABC7 and the New York Post identified the victim as Be Tran, a 74-year-old food delivery worker. ABC7 reported that he was making his final delivery of the night when the driver hit him.
Police tied the case to a BMW SUV
The official crash record listed one station wagon or sport utility vehicle, a BMW, traveling east and going straight before the crash. The same record cited unsafe speed for the crash and listed unsafe speed and driver inattention or distraction for the vehicle.
The New York Post, citing prosecutors, reported that Stoian was accused of driving a rented black BMW X6, leaving the scene, crashing the BMW and later returning to set it on fire. ABC7 reported that police found the BMW after it had been set on fire in a blaze that spread to six or seven homes.
An arrest came more than three years later
ABC7 reported that police said Florin Stoian fled the country after the crash and was returned to Queens in February 2026. The station reported that he was arrested on charges including manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, assault and arson.
Tran’s family described a long wait for justice
Hong Tran, identified by the New York Post as Be Tran’s brother, told the paper that a driver should stop and tell police what happened after hitting someone. He said the family had waited more than three years.
The Post also quoted Tuan Tran, identified as the victim’s nephew, as the family reacted to Stoian’s return to New York.
Where
Myrtle Ave