Delivery driver indicted after teen killed in Queens crosswalk
She had an answer
Delivery driver Boubacar Barry was indicted after a June 26, 2024, crash at 47th Avenue and 46th Street in Queens killed 16-year-old Jael Zhinin and injured her younger sister.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Prosecutors say delivery driver Boubacar Barry turned at 47th Avenue and 46th Street on June 26, 2024, and struck sisters Jael and Leslie Zhinin in a crosswalk. Jael, 16, died at the scene; Leslie, 8, was seriously injured. Barry continued driving, prosecutors said, and was later indicted on charges including criminally negligent homicide and leaving the scene. Early police accounts described a right turn, while prosecutors and the official vehicle record described a left turn. Press reports identify a water delivery truck; the official record labels the vehicle a Carry All and classifies it as a sedan.
Two sisters in the crosswalk
Prosecutors said Barry was turning onto 46th Street when he struck Jael and Leslie Zhinin in a marked crosswalk on the afternoon of June 26. Jael, 16, died at the scene. Leslie, 8, was hospitalized with serious injuries.
Outside a school in Queens
The crash happened at 47th Avenue and 46th Street, outside I.S. 125. It was the last day of classes, and Leslie was a student at the school, according to news reports.
Jael and her family
Jael's cousin John Tacuri remembered her as a good student who planned to attend business school. Days after the crash, her family gathered at the intersection to call for justice. Her father, Segundo, told the driver, "You don't know the pain you caused," according to ABC7.
Accounts differ on the turn and vehicle
Early police accounts said the driver made a right turn from 47th Avenue onto 46th Street. Prosecutors later described a left turn, as does the official vehicle record. Press reports identify a Ford water delivery truck, while the official record labels the vehicle a Carry All and classifies it as a sedan.
Driver indicted
Prosecutors said surveillance footage showed Barry looking toward the rear driver's side of his truck rather than ahead as he turned. They said he continued southbound after striking the sisters. Barry was indicted on charges including criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene without reporting and failure to yield.