Driver charged in fatal Brooklyn cyclist hit-and-run
The Whole World
Police alleged Akilo Cadogan hit cyclist Eugene Schroeder while turning onto Johnson Avenue and left the scene; the official record places the fatal crash at Morgan and Johnson avenues at 11:30 p.m. on March 9, 2023.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police alleged Akilo Cadogan was driving a vehicle that turned right from Morgan Avenue onto Johnson Avenue and struck cyclist Eugene Schroeder before leaving. The official record places the crash at Morgan and Johnson avenues at 11:30 p.m. on March 9, 2023. amNewYork reported about 11:32 p.m. that night, while Gothamist's 2024 report gave March 10. Reports differed on the vehicle: CBS called it a car, while other early reports said it may have been a truck; the official record identifies a 2012 Volvo diesel tractor truck, and Gothamist later called it a 2012 Volvo truck. Cadogan was later charged with leaving an accident resulting in a death and pleaded not guilty. Schroeder worked as a nightclub DJ, and his husband, John Rappaport, spoke about their 17 years together.
Police described a right turn across the bike lane
amNewYork reported that police believed Schroeder was riding south in the marked bike lane on Morgan Avenue and had stopped beside the passenger side of a vehicle, described at the time as possibly a truck. Police said the driver turned right onto Johnson Avenue, struck Schroeder and continued west without stopping. Gothamist later identified Akilo Cadogan as the accused driver.
Police found Schroeder in the crosswalk with severe head trauma, according to amNewYork and CBS. amNewYork and Audacy reported that EMS took him to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The official crash record gives the time as 11:30 p.m. on March 9, 2023. amNewYork reported about 11:32 p.m. that night, while Gothamist's 2024 report gives March 10 at 11:30 p.m.
At Morgan Avenue and Johnson Avenue
The official record places the crash at Morgan Avenue and Johnson Avenue. March 10 reports located the intersection in East Williamsburg; Gothamist's 2024 account described it as Bushwick, Brooklyn.
In the police account, the intersection is where the driver's right turn from Morgan Avenue onto Johnson Avenue crossed Schroeder's marked bike lane.
Reports differed on the vehicle
CBS said a driver in a car hit Schroeder. amNewYork, Audacy and ABC7 reported that police thought the driver may have been in a truck. The official crash record lists a 2012 Volvo diesel tractor truck traveling south and making a right turn; Gothamist later called it a 2012 Volvo truck.
Schroeder worked late nights as a DJ
Eugene Schroeder, 56, lived on Wilson Avenue in Bushwick, according to amNewYork. His husband, John Rappaport, told CBS that Schroeder worked nights as a DJ, mostly at Manhattan nightclubs. Gothamist named Ritz, Therapy and Barrage among the Hell's Kitchen clubs where he worked.
Rappaport told Gothamist that he and Schroeder had lived together for 17 years and that Schroeder cared for him. Rappaport remembered him as “the most special person in the whole world.”
An arrest followed nearly a year later
In a February 16, 2024 report, Gothamist said police had arrested 34-year-old Akilo Cadogan, of Queens. The outlet reported that court records showed he was charged with leaving an accident resulting in a death. Cadogan pleaded not guilty.