Two Drivers Hit Bronx Pedestrian; One Charged After Fleeing
A city crash record says a pedestrian was killed at White Plains Road and Archer Street, where police said two drivers hit Wilbert de Jesus Cordero and Adam Vilajeti was later charged.
What We Know
Wilbert de Jesus Cordero, 22, was crossing White Plains Road near Archer Street around 4 a.m. when police said a 24-year-old man driving a 2019 Mercedes southbound hit him. Police said the impact sent Cordero into the northbound lanes, where Adam Vilajeti, driving a 2017 BMW, hit him. First responders took Cordero to Jacobi, where he was pronounced dead. Police said Vilajeti later faced charges of leaving the scene of an accident and driving while intoxicated, while the Mercedes driver stayed at the scene and had not been charged as of the initial reports.
Police described a two-driver impact before dawn
The city crash record places the fatal crash at White Plains Road and Archer Street in the Bronx at 4:06 a.m. on Feb. 4, 2024, and records one pedestrian killed.
Police told reporters Wilbert de Jesus Cordero was crossing White Plains Road near Archer Street when a 24-year-old man driving a 2019 Mercedes southbound hit him. Police said the impact sent Cordero into the northbound lanes, where Adam Vilajeti, driving a 2017 BMW, hit him.
Wilbert de Jesus Cordero lived nearby
Police identified the pedestrian as 22-year-old Wilbert de Jesus Cordero, a Bronx resident who lived about a block from the crash scene. The Post reported that his employer said Cordero had recently arrived from the Dominican Republic and had just started working at his store.
First responders took Cordero to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, where he was pronounced dead, according to police accounts cited by both outlets.
Police alleged intoxication and leaving the scene
Police said Vilajeti, a Scarsdale resident, left the scene and was arrested about three hours later. Reporters cited police saying he was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and driving while intoxicated.
The official crash record lists alcohol involvement for the BMW driver. The same record lists the Mercedes as traveling south and the BMW as traveling north before the crash.
The Mercedes driver stayed at the scene
Police told reporters the 24-year-old Mercedes driver remained at the scene and had not been charged as of the initial reports.
White Plains Road has seen repeated severe crashes
The crash happened at White Plains Road and Archer Street in the Bronx. CrashCountNYC location data for White Plains Road in the Bronx shows 1,726 crashes, 1,180 injuries, 84 serious injuries and 7 deaths since 2022.