Unlicensed driver fatally hit 88-year-old on Dry Harbor Road
Filippo Bonura, driving a 2017 Chevy Silverado, hit 88-year-old Chung Lun Shao near 61-88 Dry Harbor Road before dawn on July 29, 2023; Shao later died of severe injuries, prosecutors said.
What We Know
The city crash record says a westbound pickup driver going straight ahead hit an 88-year-old male pedestrian around 4:55 a.m. near 61-88 Dry Harbor Road in Middle Village. Prosecutors and relatives identified the pedestrian as Chung Lun Shao and the driver as Filippo Bonura, who told police he “just tapped him,” while Shao’s daughter said video showed her father visible in the roadway for several seconds. Shao was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center and later died. The official record lists driver inattention or distraction and says the driver was unlicensed; prosecutors said Bonura’s license was suspended and charged him with driving-related offenses.
Before dawn on Dry Harbor Road
The crash was recorded at 4:55 a.m. on July 29, 2023, near 61-88 Dry Harbor Road in Queens. The city record says a westbound pickup driver was going straight ahead, and one pedestrian was killed.
Prosecutors identified the driver as Filippo Bonura and the pedestrian as Chung Lun Shao. The Daily News reported that Bonura told police, “Thank God I wasn’t going fast” and “I just tapped him with the truck.”
The crash site is on a Queens residential corridor
The crash happened at 61-88 Dry Harbor Road in Queens, in the Middle Village area identified by the press accounts.
CrashCountNYC’s location review for Dry Harbor Road in Queens counted 58 crashes, 34 injuries, one serious injury and one death from the start of 2022 through June 1, 2026.
Chung Lun Shao died after weeks in the hospital
The Daily News identified Shao as an 88-year-old Queens chef. Prosecutors and relatives said he suffered a punctured lung, broken ribs, a fractured pelvis, internal bleeding and a brain bleed, and was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center.
Shao’s daughter, Alice Shao, told the Daily News that video showed her father visible in the roadway for several seconds before the driver hit him. She said, “It’s completely the driver’s fault.”
The driver was in a Silverado tied to towing work
The official record describes the vehicle as a pickup and lists the driver’s license status as unlicensed. The Daily News and Gothamist identified Bonura as driving a 2017 Chevy Silverado.
Accounts differed over what the driver saw
The city record lists driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor and says the pedestrian was crossing away from an intersection. Bonura told police Shao stepped out between two cars, according to the Daily News.
The Daily News reported that Shao’s daughter showed the paper video that conflicted with Bonura’s account, showing Shao visible in the roadway for several seconds before impact.