NYPD tow-truck driver charged after 7-year-old's fatal Brooklyn crash.
At 7:52 a.m. on October 26, 2023, NYPD tow-truck driver Stephanie Sharp turned right onto North Portland Avenue and struck 7-year-old Kamari Hughes as he crossed Myrtle Avenue with his mother, police said; the official record lists one pedestrian death at the intersection.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
NYPD tow-truck driver Stephanie Sharp was charged after police said she turned right onto North Portland Avenue and struck Kamari in the crosswalk; the official record says he was crossing with the signal and lists failure to yield as a contributing factor. The Post described a charge of failure to exercise due care, while CBS reported failure to exercise due caution. City officials later changed the signal to let pedestrians begin crossing several seconds before drivers received a green light, Gothamist reported.
A turn and conflicting accounts of what followed.
Police told the New York Post that Sharp turned right onto North Portland Avenue and struck Kamari in the crosswalk. The official crash record lists Kamari as crossing with the signal and records failure to yield as a contributing factor; the Post reported he was riding a scooter while crossing with his mother on the way to school. The official record identifies the vehicle as a 2019 Ford tow truck/wrecker.
The Post reported that NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey said Sharp stopped immediately; witnesses told the Post and Streetsblog that she continued until people intervened. CBS reported that surveillance video showed Sharp continuing down the street before pulling over.
Reports differed on the place of death: the Post, citing police, said Kamari was pronounced dead at the scene; Streetsblog reported that police said he was taken to Brooklyn Hospital, where he died.
Neighbors remember Kamari's energy.
Neighbor Tyrana Carter told Streetsblog that Kamari was energetic and full of life, and enjoyed running around and playing tag in the park. Another neighbor said he loved gymnastics and backflips. Carter said he was a former student at Northside Center for Child Development, where his mother worked. The Post reported that Kamari was his mother's only child.
Two weeks after Kamari's death, his mother told NY1, "I'm going to make Kamari proud. That's what I'm going to do."
A school crossing outside Fort Greene Park.
The official record places the crash at Myrtle Avenue and North Portland Avenue in Brooklyn; the Post said the intersection is just outside Fort Greene Park. CBS reported that the corner serves families traveling to several nearby schools. Parent Paul Mondesire told CBS, "Myrtle Avenue is always chaotic."
Charges and a signal change followed.
Police identified Sharp, 54, as a civilian NYPD employee. The Post reported that she was charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care; CBS described the second charge as failure to exercise due caution. The Post said she was released with a court-appearance ticket. A Brooklyn district attorney's spokesperson told Streetsblog that the investigation was ongoing to determine whether additional charges were warranted.
Gothamist reported that Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi said the city changed the intersection's signal after the crash so pedestrians could start crossing a few seconds before drivers received a green light.