Driver charged after 3-year-old killed in Flushing hit-and-run
He Learned Quickly
A driver in a sedan hit and killed a 3-year-old pedestrian on College Point Boulevard at 6:40 p.m. Nov. 29, 2023, and prosecutors later charged Kevin Gomez with manslaughter and other crimes in the Flushing hit-and-run.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
A driver in a 2014 white Infiniti Q50 was pulling from the curb near College Point Boulevard and 41st Avenue in Flushing on Nov. 29, 2023, when prosecutors say he hit 3-year-old Quintus Chen and dragged him about 10 feet before driving away. The city crash record puts the collision at 6:40 p.m. on College Point Boulevard and records one pedestrian death. EMS took the child to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, where he was pronounced dead. Police later found the Infiniti several blocks away, and Queens prosecutors announced a 14-count indictment against Kevin Gomez, including manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene, assault and other charges.
Prosecutors said the driver pulled into traffic and kept going
The city crash record says one pedestrian was killed at 6:40 p.m. on Nov. 29, 2023, on College Point Boulevard in a collision involving a sedan. Queens prosecutors later said Kevin Gomez had parked a 2014 white Infiniti Q50 in a No Standing Zone near 41-04 College Point Boulevard, returned from a Dunkin Donuts, and pulled forward into a traffic lane as 3-year-old Quintus Chen stepped off the curb ahead of his father.
Prosecutors said video showed the child would have been visible to the driver. They alleged Gomez hit him, dragged him approximately 10 feet, appeared to slow or stop, and then drove away.
Police found the Infiniti several blocks away
EMS took the child to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, where he was pronounced dead. Prosecutors said police found the Infiniti at about 8:50 p.m. parked near College Point Boulevard and Pople Avenue, about four blocks from the crash scene.
The child and the accused driver
Prosecutors identified the child as 3-year-old Quintus Chen of Flushing. Most later reviewed accounts used that spelling; some earlier reviewed accounts spelled his first name Quintas.
The New York Post identified his mother as Karen Ng and quoted her describing her son as a “cute and adorable” boy. She added, “His teachers say he learns pretty fast.”
Queens prosecutors identified Kevin Gomez, 20, of Maspeth, as the driver. They announced a 14-count indictment charging him with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, assault, leaving the scene and other crimes.
A busy Flushing block drew warnings before and after the crash
The crash happened near College Point Boulevard and 41st Avenue in Flushing, outside a commercial strip. ABC7 reported that the driver had parked in a no-standing zone near an active driveway where pedestrians regularly navigate traffic jams.
At a community press conference, Assemblymember Ron Kim said, “I walk this street almost every day,” and called the area dangerous for families. ABC7 also quoted him saying, “It is not a safe sidewalk for families.”
Investigators cited visibility and driver movement
The city crash record lists tinted windows as the sedan driver’s contributing factor. Prosecutors separately alleged that surveillance video showed the child’s head cleared the hood and that Gomez pulled forward without signaling before the fatal impact.