NYPD Tow-Truck Driver Charged After 7-Year-Old Killed in Fort Greene
A licensed driver making a right turn in an NYPD tow truck failed to yield at Myrtle and North Portland avenues, where police said civilian employee Stephanie Sharp hit 7-year-old Kamari Hughes as he crossed with the signal on his way to school.
What We Know
On the morning of Oct. 26, 2023, 7-year-old Kamari Hughes was crossing Myrtle Avenue at North Portland Avenue in Fort Greene when police said NYPD civilian employee Stephanie Sharp, 54, made a right turn in a tow truck and hit him in the crosswalk. The city crash record says the pedestrian was crossing with the signal and lists failure to yield as the contributing factor. The Post reported that Sharp was charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care and was released with a desk-appearance ticket. Police said the driver stopped immediately, while two witnesses told the Post they believed she continued before bystanders stopped her.
A right turn into a crosswalk
The crash happened at about 7:52 a.m. on Oct. 26, 2023, at Myrtle Avenue and North Portland Avenue in Brooklyn. The official record says a 7-year-old male pedestrian was crossing with the signal at the intersection when a licensed driver in a tow truck was making a right turn and failed to yield.
The Post identified the child as Kamari Hughes and reported that he was on his way to school with his mother. Police told the Post that Stephanie Sharp, a 54-year-old civilian NYPD employee, was driving the tow truck and hit Kamari while turning onto North Portland Avenue. Police said he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kamari Hughes was walking with his mother
The Post reported that Kamari was crossing Myrtle Avenue with his mother when the driver hit him. A witness described Kamari’s mother yelling at the driver after the crash, and the article said video from the aftermath showed investigators speaking with her in the crosswalk.
Police cited failure to yield and due care
The official crash record lists failure to yield right-of-way as the contributing factor. The Post reported that police charged Stephanie Sharp with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care, issued her a desk-appearance ticket and released her.
Accounts differed on whether the driver stopped right away
NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey told reporters the driver stopped immediately. Two witnesses quoted by the Post said they believed the driver continued before bystanders stopped her.
Myrtle Avenue has a long crash record
The fatal crash occurred at Myrtle Avenue and North Portland Avenue, just outside Fort Greene Park, according to the Post and the official record.
CrashCountNYC’s corridor review for Myrtle Avenue in Brooklyn counted 1,603 crashes, 853 injuries, 44 serious injuries and 5 deaths from the start of 2022 through June 1, 2026.
The city changed the crossing signal after the crash
Gothamist reported that Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi said the city changed the crosswalk light at Myrtle and North Portland avenues after Kamari’s death so pedestrians could begin crossing a few seconds before drivers received a green light. The same article reported criticism from residents and advocates who said the Adams administration had not done enough to improve street safety in Fort Greene and nearby Clinton Hill.