Teen Tesla Driver Killed Pedestrian on Ocean Parkway Sidewalk
A Tesla driver hit a 76-year-old man near Avenue M at night and tore away his leg. Police recorded driver inattention and unsafe speed. He died on the pavement, just off the roadway.
What We Know
A 17-year-old driver in a Tesla was speeding north on Ocean Parkway when police said he lost control near Avenue M, went onto the sidewalk and hit Milorad Rajacic, 76. The official record lists one pedestrian killed and one pedestrian injured at the Brooklyn intersection, with driver inattention as a contributing factor. Press accounts said another man sitting on a bench was taken to the hospital with minor leg injuries, and police arrested the teenage driver nearby after he left the damaged car. The New York Post reported that he was charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. Published accounts differed on the time, placing the crash around 9:20 p.m. or 10:20 p.m.; the city crash record lists 9:18 p.m.
Police said the teen driver left the roadway
Police told reporters the 17-year-old driver was speeding north on Ocean Parkway when he lost control near Avenue M, went onto the sidewalk and hit Milorad Rajacic, 76. The official record places the fatal crash at Ocean Parkway and Avenue M in Brooklyn on June 7, 2023, and records one pedestrian killed and one pedestrian injured.
The New York Post reported that the driver also hit a traffic signal pole, continued along the sidewalk, hit a bench where a 24-year-old man was sitting and hit a parked motorcycle. The Daily News reported that Rajacic was walking home after maintenance work at a nearby building.
Milorad Rajacic died after the crash
Police said Rajacic suffered severe head and torso trauma and was taken to Maimonides Medical Center, where he died. The Daily News identified him as a 76-year-old Old Westbury resident and quoted his wife and son describing the family's shock.
A 24-year-old man who had been sitting on a bench was taken to the same hospital with minor leg injuries and was listed in stable condition, according to the New York Post.
The crash record and press accounts described multiple vehicles
The official vehicle records list a 2021 Tesla sedan traveling north before the crash, along with a parked motorcycle and a parked e-bike. Press accounts described the driver as operating a Tesla and said police reported damage to a parked motorcycle.
The official record listed driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor for the crash, and the vehicle entry for the sedan also listed unsafe speed.
Ocean Parkway has a long crash history
The crash happened at Ocean Parkway and Avenue M in Brooklyn. CrashCountNYC's location context for Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn shows 1,741 crashes, 1,281 injuries, 62 serious injuries and 7 deaths from 2022 through June 1, 2026.
That history makes this fatal sidewalk crash part of a broader pattern of harm along the Ocean Parkway corridor, not an isolated data point at a quiet location.
Police arrested the driver nearby
The New York Post reported that the teenage driver left the destroyed car and was arrested nearby. The paper reported that police charged him with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and did not release his name because of his age.
Published accounts gave different times for the crash: the Daily News reported about 9:20 p.m., the New York Post reported around 10:20 p.m., and the official city record lists 9:18 p.m.