Tesla Driver’s Queens Crash Killed Passenger Near JFK
Police said a 52-year-old Tesla driver rear-ended a Ford and then hit a stationary utility truck on Rockaway Boulevard near Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, where the city record logged one passenger killed and one motorist injured on Oct. 29, 2023.
What We Know
On Oct. 29, 2023, a driver in a black 2023 Tesla Model Y SUV was traveling east on Rockaway Boulevard near Guy R. Brewer Boulevard in Springfield Gardens. Police told the Daily News that the 52-year-old driver rear-ended a gray 2010 Ford Fusion and then hit a stationary white 2002 International utility truck in the opposite lanes. The city crash record logged one person killed and one motorist injured; the victim was a 54-year-old woman seated in the Tesla’s front passenger seat. The record lists driver inexperience as a contributing factor and notes slippery pavement for the Tesla driver. The city record places the crash at 1:35 p.m.; the Daily News reported about 1:50 p.m.
Police described a three-driver crash outside JFK
The city crash record places the crash at 1:35 p.m. on Oct. 29, 2023, while the Daily News reported it happened about 1:50 p.m. Police said the 52-year-old man driving a black 2023 Tesla Model Y SUV rear-ended a gray 2010 Ford Fusion as both drivers headed east on Rockaway Boulevard near Guy R. Brewer Boulevard.
Police said the Tesla driver then hit a white 2002 International utility truck that was stationary in the opposite lanes. The city record lists three involved drivers and records one person killed and one motorist injured.
A front-seat passenger died at the hospital
The woman who died was 54 and was seated in the Tesla’s front passenger seat, according to the city crash record and the Daily News account. Medics took her to Jamaica Hospital, where she could not be saved.
The Daily News reported that the Tesla driver was taken to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition and that the other two drivers were not hurt.
Rockaway Boulevard has a long crash record
The crash happened at Rockaway Boulevard and Brewer Boulevard in Queens, near JFK Airport, according to the crash record and the Daily News.
CrashCountNYC’s location review for Rockaway Boulevard in Queens counted 1,571 crashes, 1,088 injuries, 54 serious injuries and 2 deaths from 2022 through June 1, 2026.
The city record cited driver inexperience
The city crash record lists driver inexperience as a contributing factor in the crash. The vehicle entry for the Tesla driver also notes slippery pavement.
The Daily News reported the day after the crash that it was not yet clear whether the Tesla driver would face charges.