Driver in Lexus Fatally Injured Pedestrian on Bronxdale Avenue
A male driver in a 2016 Lexus SUV fatally injured 59-year-old pedestrian Paulina Nrecaj at Bronxdale and Cruger avenues, where police said he swerved near a stopped van and went onto the sidewalk outside her building.
What We Know
Paulina Nrecaj, 59, was killed on Sept. 9, 2022, near Bronxdale and Cruger avenues in the Bronx. The city crash record says a male driver in a 2016 Lexus SUV was traveling east and slowing or stopping at about 6:30 p.m.; it lists driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor. Police told the Daily News that the 45-year-old driver swerved to avoid a stopped van, went onto the sidewalk and pinned Nrecaj against a wrought iron fence outside the building where relatives said she had raised her family. Nrecaj was taken to Jacobi Medical Center, where she died. The driver remained at the scene and was taken to the same hospital in stable condition, the Daily News reported.
The driver went onto the sidewalk outside Nrecaj's building
The crash happened at about 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 9, 2022, at Bronxdale Avenue and Cruger Avenue. The official record says a male driver in a 2016 Lexus SUV was traveling east and slowing or stopping before the crash.
Police told the Daily News that the 45-year-old driver swerved to avoid a stopped van and went onto the sidewalk. Paulina Nrecaj, 59, was pinned against a wrought iron fence and later died at Jacobi Medical Center.
Cruger Avenue has seen repeated harm since 2022
The fatal crash occurred at Bronxdale Avenue and Cruger Avenue in the Bronx. CrashCountNYC's location context for Cruger Avenue records 122 crashes, 57 injuries, 8 serious injuries and 1 death since 2022.
Relatives said Nrecaj was close to home
The Daily News identified the victim as Paulina Nrecaj and reported that she was walking to get pizza when the crash happened outside the building where relatives said she had raised her family. Her husband, Frane Nrecaj, told the paper that a neighbor came to the door to tell him his wife had been hit.
A witness, Maria Silva, told the Daily News that the driver appeared to be going very fast and said he lost control.
The driver stayed at the scene
The Daily News reported that the 45-year-old driver remained with the vehicle at the scene and was taken to Jacobi Medical Center in stable condition. The official record lists one motorist injured in addition to the pedestrian fatality.