Driver charged after 10-year-old girl dies in Williamsburg.
Police said driver Isaac Karczag, 62, struck 10-year-old Yitty Wertzberger while turning left at Wallabout Street and Franklin Avenue on April 16, 2024; the official crash record lists one pedestrian killed there.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police accounts said Karczag struck Wertzberger while turning left from Wallabout Street onto Franklin Avenue. The official record lists one pedestrian killed at that intersection; some initial reports placed the crash at nearby Wythe Avenue. Police later charged Karczag with failure to yield to a pedestrian, failure to obey a traffic device and failure to exercise due care.
Police accounts describe a turn across opposing traffic.
In a report citing the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad, 1010 WINS said Karczag drove west on Wallabout Street, crossed the double yellow lines into eastbound traffic while turning left onto southbound Franklin Avenue, and struck Wertzberger as she crossed in a marked crosswalk with the walk signal. Brooklyn Paper separately reported that police alleged he turned against the light. The official crash record lists failure to yield as a contributing factor.
AmNewYork and Brooklyn Paper reported that EMS took Wertzberger to Brooklyn Hospital Center, where she was pronounced dead about an hour after the crash.
Reports differed on the cross streets and time.
The official record places the crash at Wallabout Street and Franklin Avenue in Brooklyn at 2:33 p.m. NY1 and later reports also identify Franklin Avenue, while initial reports from amNewYork, ABC7 and CBS placed the crash at nearby Wythe Avenue. Press accounts put the time at about 2:40 to 2:45 p.m.
Reports gave conflicting vehicle descriptions.
The official record describes a 2022 Buick, categorized as a station wagon or sport utility vehicle. Brooklyn Paper reported a Buick SUV, and 1010 WINS identified a Buick Enclave SUV. NY1 described a Buick sedan, while ABC7 reported a black Honda Pilot.
The driver was arrested and charged after initial reports.
Brooklyn Paper and 1010 WINS reported on April 17 that Karczag had been arrested and charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian, failure to obey a traffic device and failure to exercise due care. Earlier reports said he remained at the scene; on April 16, NY1 reported no arrests had been made, while ABC7 and CBS said police did not suspect criminality at that time.
Council Member Lincoln Restler called for street-safety interventions, writing on X, “we need real street safety interventions and we need them now.”