Driver Sought After Lourdes Camilo Killed in Melrose Hit-and-Run
Across the street
At about 7:11 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2024, at Melrose Avenue and East 157th Street in the Bronx, a hit-and-run driver hit 53-year-old Lourdes Camilo, and a second driver remained after also hitting her, according to official data and police accounts.
What We Know
A driver hit 53-year-old Lourdes Camilo as she was crossing Melrose Avenue near East 157th Street in the Bronx on Jan. 13, 2024, according to police accounts reviewed by local outlets. The official crash record places the collision at 7:11 p.m. and records one pedestrian death at the intersection. Press accounts said the impact sent Camilo into southbound traffic, where a second driver also hit her and stayed at the scene. EMS pronounced her dead at the scene. Police had made no arrests in the reviewed reports.
A driver fled after the first impact
The official record places the crash at 7:11 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2024, at Melrose Avenue and East 157th Street and records one pedestrian death. Police accounts published by amNY and News 12 identified the woman who died as 53-year-old Lourdes Camilo and said a driver hit her and left the scene.
Press accounts said Camilo was thrown into southbound traffic, where a second driver also hit her and stayed at the scene. First responders found her unconscious and unresponsive with severe traumatic injuries, and EMS pronounced her dead at the scene.
A Melrose intersection with a record of injuries
The crash happened at Melrose Avenue and East 157th Street in the Bronx's Melrose section, near Camilo's home, according to amNY and the official crash record.
Before the fatal crash, amNY reported, the intersection had seen 12 injuries in 10 crashes over the previous decade, including injuries to seven pedestrians and five motorists, based on NYC Crash Mapper data.
Reports differed on the Jeep descriptions
Reviewed press reports described the first driver as operating a white Jeep SUV or Jeep Cherokee and the second driver as operating a Jeep Wrangler. The official crash record lists two Jeep entries: a northbound 2021 Jeep classified as a sedan and a southbound 2014 Jeep classified as an SUV.
The official vehicle record lists driver inattention or distraction for the northbound Jeep entry. amNY reported that the driver who left the scene continued northbound.
Police searched for the driver who left
amNY reported the day after the crash that the hit-and-run driver had not been caught and that the second driver had not been arrested. News 12 also reported that there were no arrests and that the investigation was ongoing.
News 12 reported that friends and neighbors made a small memorial outside Camilo's apartment. A witness identified as Jorge told News 12 he heard the impact, called 911 and moved a garbage can into the street to keep Camilo from being hit again.