Driver Charged After Bushwick Hit-and-Run Killed Pedestrian
Police said Robert Matthews sped away from an NYPD stop before hitting 71-year-old Juanita Vidal and her daughter at Eldert Street and Knickerbocker Avenue, where the official record lists one pedestrian killed and one injured.
What We Know
According to the police report, a man driving a northbound Mazda sedan on Eldert Street near Knickerbocker Avenue hit two women who were crossing in a marked crosswalk without a signal. The 71-year-old pedestrian sustained crush injuries to her entire body and died. A 44-year-old pedestrian suffered chest contusions. Police recorded that the driver disregarded traffic control and unsafe speed and noted that he did not have a valid license. The crash took place on a Thursday afternoon in Brooklyn.
Police described a failed stop before the fatal crossing
The crash was recorded at about 5:02 p.m. on May 9, 2024, at Eldert Street and Knickerbocker Avenue in Brooklyn. The official record lists one pedestrian killed and one pedestrian injured.
Police told amNY that an NYPD unit assigned to the 83rd Precinct was trying to pull over a 2024 Mazda when the driver fled northbound on Eldert Street from Wilson Avenue. Authorities said the driver went through two stop signs at Eldert Street and Knickerbocker Avenue and hit Juanita Vidal and her daughter as they crossed Eldert Street.
Juanita Vidal was killed; her daughter was injured
The official record identifies the person killed as a 71-year-old female pedestrian who was crossing in a marked crosswalk. amNY, citing police, identified her as Juanita Vidal and reported that she was crossing with her 44-year-old daughter.
EMS took Vidal to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead, amNY reported. Her daughter was taken to NYC Health and Hospitals/Elmhurst in critical but stable condition.
Records describe the Mazda and parked vehicles
The official crash record lists the moving vehicle as a 2024 Mazda sedan traveling north, with a parked 2011 Chevrolet van and a parked 2011 Honda sedan also involved. amNY, citing police, described the Mazda as a 2024 Mazda CX-5 and the Honda as a Honda Fit.
Police told amNY that after the driver hit Vidal and her daughter, the driver also hit the back of a parked, unoccupied Chevrolet van, pushing it into another parked, unoccupied vehicle.
The record and police account point to stop signs and speed
The official crash record lists traffic control disregarded as a contributing factor for the crash, and lists unsafe speed for the Mazda driver. amNY reported that police said the driver was going fast while trying to evade officers and went through two stop signs before the impact.
A Bushwick intersection on a high-crash corridor
The fatal crash happened at Eldert Street and Knickerbocker Avenue in Brooklyn, on the Knickerbocker Avenue corridor.
CrashCountNYC Crash Finder shows 768 crashes, 318 injuries, 12 serious injuries, and 2 deaths on Knickerbocker Avenue in Brooklyn since 2022.
Matthews was arrested in July and charged
amNY reported that Robert Matthews, 26, of Brooklyn, was arrested on July 22 within the 83rd Precinct. Police said he had left the Mazda behind and fled on foot after the crash.