Police say driver fled after fatal Canal Street crash.
Police said a driver struck a pedestrian near Lafayette Street early on March 6, 2024, and left the scene; the official record lists one pedestrian killed in a Canal Street crash at 4:56 a.m.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police accounts placed the collision near Lafayette Street around 4:50 a.m. on March 6, while the official record gives the time as 4:56 a.m. and records one pedestrian killed. Sources differed in their descriptions of the vehicle and the pedestrian's age. The Village Sun reported that police announced Kevin Wright's arrest three days later and listed charges of leaving the scene resulting in death and first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation.
A pedestrian was struck while crossing.
The Village Sun, citing police, reported that a man crossing Canal Street from north to south near Lafayette Street was nearing the curb in an eastbound lane when a driver in a dark-colored SUV struck him and left the scene. Streetsblog also cited police but said officers did not know which direction the driver had been traveling.
The official record lists a station wagon/SUV traveling east. The Village Sun and Streetsblog described a dark SUV, while News 12 used the term car. The Village Sun reported that responders took the man to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The official record lists the pedestrian as 55. Police descriptions reported by The Village Sun, News 12 and Streetsblog placed him in his 30s. The press reports did not identify him by name.
Canal Street drew safety concerns.
The Village Sun placed the crossing near Lafayette Street, and Streetsblog placed the impact between Lafayette Street and Broadway. News 12 reported that Transportation Alternatives counted this as the fourth pedestrian death on Canal Street in five years.
Transportation Alternatives organizer Emily Jacobi told News 12 that traffic from the Holland Tunnel, West Side Highway and Manhattan Bridge created highway-like conditions on Canal Street in a densely used pedestrian neighborhood.
Police later announced an arrest.
The Village Sun reported that police announced Kevin Wright's arrest three days after the crash. The report identified Wright as 48 and from Canarsie, Brooklyn, and said he was charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and aggravated operating a motor vehicle without a license in the first degree.