Driver fails to yield, killing woman in Bath Beach crosswalk
Faheem Shabazz was identified by police as the driver in a southbound Dodge Ram pickup who turned left at Bath Avenue and 25th Avenue, where city records say a 66-year-old woman crossing with the signal was killed.
What We Know
Just after 1 p.m. on Sept. 12, 2023, police said Faheem Shabazz drove south on 25th Avenue in a Dodge Ram pickup and turned left onto Bath Avenue, hitting Xia Ying Chen as she crossed in a crosswalk with her 2-year-old grandchild in a stroller. City crash records list Chen, 66, as a pedestrian crossing with the signal and attribute the crash to driver inattention and failure to yield. Paramedics took Chen to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, where she died. The child was taken to Maimonides Medical Center; accounts said the child survived, with Brooklyn Paper citing police that there were no injuries and the Daily News quoting a witness who described a cut to the child's forehead. Police said Shabazz remained at the scene and was charged with failing to yield to a pedestrian.
A left turn into a crosswalk
City records place the fatal crash at Bath Avenue and 25th Avenue in Brooklyn at 1:04 p.m. on Sept. 12, 2023. The record lists a southbound driver making a left turn and a 66-year-old woman pedestrian at the intersection crossing with the signal.
Police told Brooklyn Paper and the Daily News that Faheem Shabazz drove south on 25th Avenue in a Dodge Ram pickup, turned left onto Bath Avenue, and hit Xia Ying Chen while she was pushing a 2-year-old child in a stroller in the crosswalk.
Chen was crossing with a 2-year-old child
Police identified the woman who died as Xia Ying Chen, 66. The Daily News reported that she suffered severe head and body injuries and was taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, where she could not be saved.
Brooklyn Paper described the child as Chen's 2-year-old grandchild and reported, citing police, that the child was taken to Maimonides Medical Center with no injuries. The Daily News described the child as Chen's granddaughter and quoted a witness who said the child had a cut to her forehead and was expected to recover.
Records and police pointed to failure to yield
The city crash record lists driver inattention or distraction and failure to yield the right of way as contributing factors tied to the fatal pedestrian crash.
Brooklyn Paper reported that police charged Shabazz with two counts of failing to yield to a pedestrian and also said no criminality was suspected as the investigation continued.
The pickup and its prior violations
The city vehicle record lists a 2022 Dodge truck or bus with one licensed male driver, traveling south before the crash and making a left turn. Press accounts described the vehicle as a Dodge Ram or Ram pickup.
Brooklyn Paper reported that city records compiled by How's My Driving listed nine traffic violations tied to the pickup since December 2022, including three school-zone speeding tickets in 2023. A later Brooklyn Paper story described Shabazz as a repeat traffic offender and said the latest speeding violation was on Aug. 26.
Bath Avenue has a broader crash pattern
The crash happened at Bath Avenue and 25th Avenue in Bath Beach, Brooklyn.
CrashCountNYC's corridor context for Bath Avenue in Brooklyn counted 260 crashes, 140 injuries, 6 serious injuries and 2 deaths from Jan. 1, 2022 through June 1, 2026.
Elected officials called for accountability
After Chen's death, Brooklyn Paper reported that State Sen. Andrew Gounardes called for tougher consequences for repeat traffic offenders and said the crash showed the need to treat every intersection and roadway as a place where someone can be injured or killed while crossing.