Teen driver in Tesla kills pedestrian in Midwood crash.
Tough as Nails
At 9:18 p.m. on June 7, 2023, a 17-year-old driving a Tesla struck and killed 76-year-old Milorad Rajacic at Ocean Parkway and Avenue M in Brooklyn; police accounts said another man was injured.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police said a 17-year-old Tesla driver was speeding when he struck and killed 76-year-old Milorad Rajacic at Ocean Parkway and Avenue M, injuring another man. Reports differ on whether the driver struck Rajacic in the intersection or on the sidewalk. The driver was charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, though an eyewitness told ABC7 he did not flee.
Reports differ on the crash sequence.
The New York Post, citing police, reported that the northbound driver mounted the sidewalk, struck Rajacic, hit a traffic signal pole, and continued along the sidewalk into a median bench where a 24-year-old man was sitting. The Post also reported that the driver hit a parked motorcycle.
The Daily News said police described the driver losing control while making a turn. ABC7 reported that Rajacic was struck in the intersection before the driver hit a light pole and mounted the curb toward the bench. The official vehicle entry records northbound travel and movement straight ahead before the crash.
The official crash record gives the time as 9:18 p.m. The Daily News reported about 9:20 p.m., ABC7 reported just after 9:15 p.m., and the Post reported around 10:20 p.m.
Rajacic’s family remembers his work and character.
Milorad Rajacic
Rajacic, 76, was walking home after doing maintenance work at a nearby building, his wife, Emilia, told the Daily News. She said they had been married for 50 years. Their son, Peter, described his father as “hard-working, tough as nails.”
The injured man
The 24-year-old man sitting on the median bench suffered minor leg injuries, the Post reported. CBS said he was also injured and had minor injuries.
Ocean Parkway and Avenue M in Midwood.
The official crash record, CBS, and the Post place the crash at Ocean Parkway and Avenue M in Brooklyn. ABC7’s report instead names Ocean Avenue and Avenue M.
Residents told CBS that speeding and reckless driving were recurring concerns on Ocean Parkway. Midwood resident Michael Davis described the street at night as “a speeding gallery.”
The record lists a sedan and parked vehicles.
The official record identifies a northbound 2021 sedan; news reports identify the driver’s vehicle as a Tesla. The record also lists a parked motorcycle and a parked e-bike. The Post reported that the driver hit a parked motorcycle.
Police cited speed; the official record lists contributing factors.
Police accounts described the 17-year-old driver as speeding. The official vehicle record lists driver inattention or distraction and unsafe speed as contributing factors.
Police alleged the driver fled; a witness disputed that account.
The Post reported that police said the driver ran from his car and was arrested nearby. CBS reported that he was charged as a juvenile with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.
An eyewitness identified as Michael told ABC7 that the driver went to a corner and called his parents, who came and spoke with police. Michael said the driver did not flee, did not resist, and appeared shaken.