Police charged Trina Bryant in a fatal Bronx car wash hit-and-run.
Benito Felix
Police accused driver Trina Bryant of striking car wash worker Felix Thomas Bontia on Webster Avenue; the official record places the crash at 5:24 a.m. on Feb. 19, 2023, and lists one pedestrian killed and one motorist injured.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police accused Trina Bryant of driving a southbound Ford Escape and veering into a bus lane, where she struck car wash worker Felix Thomas Bontia as he dried a customer's Toyota RAV4. The official record places the crash at 5:24 a.m. on Feb. 19, 2023, and lists one pedestrian killed and one motorist injured. Reports differ on whether the Toyota was parked or had pulled out of the wash, and on what happened to it after impact: amNewYork and the Post said it was pushed into a parked Nissan, while the Daily News said it went into a car-wash sign. Bryant was arrested in July 2025 and pleaded not guilty; outlets described the charges differently. Bontia's manager remembered him as a quiet, good worker with two children and family in Mexico.
Police said Bryant entered a bus lane.
Police said Bryant was driving a southbound Ford Escape when she veered into a bus lane and struck Bontia and the Toyota RAV4 he was drying at the Speedway car wash on Webster Avenue. AmNewYork described the Toyota as parked while Bontia dried it; the Daily News later reported it had pulled out of the wash into the bus lane.
The Post reported that police said Bontia was pinned between the two vehicles and thrown to the ground. Accounts differ on what happened to the Toyota afterward: amNewYork and the Post said it was pushed into a parked, unoccupied Nissan Altima; the Daily News described it being sent into a car-wash sign.
The official crash record lists one pedestrian killed and one motorist injured. ABC7 and the Post reported that medics took Bontia to Lincoln Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Post identified the injured motorist as a 58-year-old man driving the Toyota and said he was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital with minor injuries and in stable condition.
Coworkers remembered Bontia as a good, quiet worker.
ABC7 reported that Bontia, 47, had worked at the car wash for about a year and had family in the Bronx and Mexico. Manager Milton Cardenas told the Daily News that Bontia had two children and described him as “a good worker, quiet.”
ABC7 reported that coworker Mohammed rushed to help Bontia and called 911. Mohammed said, “I can't sleep because I was talking to him a few minutes and that thing happened like that.”
Reports identified three vehicles involved.
The official record lists a southbound 2011 Ford SUV, a 2017 Toyota SUV and a parked 2014 Nissan sedan. Press reports identified them as a Ford Escape, Toyota RAV4 and Nissan Altima, respectively.
Bryant's arrest and charges were reported in 2025.
In July 2025, news reports said police arrested Bryant. Accounts differed on the day: the Daily News and CBS said Wednesday, while the Post said Thursday afternoon.
The Daily News listed manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and leaving the scene among the charges. The Post also listed vehicular manslaughter. CBS described an 11-count indictment that included manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and driving while under the influence of alcohol. The Post and CBS reported that Bryant pleaded not guilty.
The Post reported that Bryant and her front-seat passenger left on foot after stopping about a block away, and that the passenger had not been caught as of July 31, 2025. It also reported that Bryant was held on $250,000 cash bail or $750,000 bond.
Where
WEBSTER AVENUE