Driver sentenced after fatal Bushwick hit-and-run
An errand
Robert Matthews, who later pleaded guilty to manslaughter, struck two pedestrians while fleeing police at Eldert Street and Knickerbocker Avenue in Brooklyn at 5:02 p.m. on May 9, 2024, prosecutors said; the official record counts one pedestrian killed and one injured.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Prosecutors said Matthews fled police and struck two people at Eldert Street and Knickerbocker Avenue at 5:02 p.m. on May 9, 2024. The official record counts one pedestrian killed and one injured. ABC7 reported that Juanita Vidal, 71, later died at Wyckoff Hospital. Matthews pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and leaving the scene and received a five-to-10-year prison sentence.
Prosecutors described a dangerous flight.
Prosecutors said Matthews sped away from police, drove through a red light and multiple stop signs, swerved to avoid a vehicle, and struck two pedestrians crossing in a crosswalk. The official crash record counts one pedestrian killed and one injured.
Eldert Street meets Knickerbocker Avenue.
The official record places the crash at Eldert Street and Knickerbocker Avenue in Brooklyn at 5:02 p.m. on May 9, 2024; news reports identify the neighborhood as Bushwick. Prosecutors said the pedestrians were crossing Eldert Street at the intersection.
Reports differ on the women’s relationship.
The official record identifies a 71-year-old woman as the pedestrian who died; ABC7 and police reports identified her as Juanita Vidal. ABC7, amNewYork and prosecutors identified the injured 44-year-old as Vidal’s daughter. News 12, citing sources, described Vidal as the daughter of the 44-year-old survivor.
ABC7 reported that Vidal was taken to Wyckoff Hospital, where she later died, and that the injured woman was taken to Elmhurst Hospital. People who knew the women described them as kind and said they spent much time together, ABC7 reported.
Reports describe the Mazda and later impacts differently.
The official record classifies the 2024 Mazda as a sedan; Patch and amNewYork described it as a Mazda CX-5. The official record also lists an unoccupied van and a parked, unoccupied Honda sedan. Patch reported that the driver struck two parked vehicles, while amNewYork said he hit a parked Chevrolet van that pushed into a 2011 Honda Fit.
Police and prosecutors gave different accounts of the pursuit.
The NYPD told NY1 that officers tried to stop the driver, followed him, lost sight of him and saw him again minutes later; the statement said he sped away before officers could activate their lights and struck the pedestrians. Prosecutors later said Matthews initially pulled over, then fled while officers followed with their lights on.
Matthews pleaded guilty and was sentenced.
amNewYork reported that Matthews was arrested on July 22, 2024, and listed charges including second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, unlawful fleeing of a police officer and leaving an accident resulting in death. BK Reader reported that he pleaded guilty on April 13, 2026, to second-degree manslaughter and leaving the scene where death results, and received an indeterminate prison sentence of five to 10 years.