Police charged Edward Montero in connection with fatal Bronx hit-and-run
Five Months
Police later identified Edward Montero as the driver and charged him in connection with the Feb. 23, 2024, 5:58 a.m. crash at Melrose Avenue and East 161st Street in the Bronx, where bicyclist Thierno Balde, 24, was killed.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police later identified Edward Montero as the driver and charged him in connection with the crash recorded at 5:58 a.m. on Feb. 23, 2024, at Melrose Avenue and East 161st Street in the Bronx; the official record counts one cyclist killed. AmNewYork reported that investigators said Montero was driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee south on Melrose and that the driver left the scene. Earlier reports described a woman in connection with the Jeep: ABC7 said a woman believed to be the driver was seen leaving it, while the New York Post described a woman behind the wheel. The arrest report said authorities had not disclosed how they linked Montero to the crash. Balde's brother said he was headed to morning prayers and had moved from Guinea five months earlier.
The crash happened before dawn
The official crash record places the collision at 5:58 a.m. on Feb. 23, 2024, at Melrose Avenue and East 161st Street in the Bronx. It records one cyclist killed.
AmNewYork reported that investigators said Edward Montero was driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee south on Melrose Avenue with a green light when he hit eastbound bicyclist Thierno Balde. The report said the driver left the scene.
ABC7 reported that police said the Jeep's driver appeared to be speeding. The official record lists unsafe speed as a contributing factor for the motor vehicle.
Reports describe a Jeep Grand Cherokee
The official record classifies the motor vehicle as a station wagon/SUV and identifies the fatal rider's vehicle as an e-bike. News reports identify the motor vehicle as a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Balde was building a new life in the Bronx
Balde, 24, had moved from Guinea to the Bronx five months before the crash and was on his way to morning prayers at a nearby mosque, his brother told the New York Post. ABC7 reported that Balde organized a family dinner the night before the crash.
His brother told the New York Post that Balde had earned a bachelor's degree in bank insurance in Guinea, was studying English, and hoped to pursue a career in bank insurance or computer science.
Police announced an arrest nearly a year later
AmNewYork reported that police arrested Montero, 28, on Feb. 18, 2025, and charged him with second-degree manslaughter and leaving the scene of an incident without reporting. The report said the arrest followed an investigation by the NYPD Highway District's Collision Investigation Squad.
Early reports described a woman in connection with the Jeep. ABC7 said a woman believed to be the driver was seen leaving the damaged vehicle, while the New York Post described a woman behind the wheel. In 2025, AmNewYork reported that police identified Montero as the driver, but said authorities had not disclosed how they linked him to the crash.
Where
MELROSE AVENUE and EAST 161 STREET