Driver indicted after teen killed in Queens crosswalk hit-and-run
A driver making a turn at 47th Avenue and 46th Street in Queens killed a 16-year-old pedestrian and injured another child on June 26, 2024, and prosecutors later charged Boubacar Barry in the hit-and-run that killed Jael Zhinin.
What We Know
On June 26, 2024, at 3:26 p.m., a driver turning at 47th Avenue and 46th Street in Queens killed 16-year-old pedestrian Jael Zhinin and injured her 8-year-old sister. Prosecutors later identified the driver as Boubacar Barry, a water delivery truck driver, and said surveillance video showed him traveling west on 47th Avenue, turning left onto 46th Street, looking toward the rear driver's side instead of ahead, and continuing southbound after the sisters were run over. An initial police account reported by Gothamist described a right turn, while the district attorney and the official vehicle record described a left turn. Barry was indicted on charges including criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene, failure to yield and failing to exercise due care.
A turn through a Woodside crosswalk ended in a fatal hit-and-run
The crash was recorded at 3:26 p.m. on June 26, 2024, at 47th Avenue and 46th Street in Queens. The official record lists one pedestrian killed and one pedestrian injured; prosecutors later identified the child who died as 16-year-old Jael Zhinin and the injured child as her 8-year-old sister, Leslie Zhinin.
Prosecutors said surveillance video showed Boubacar Barry traveling west on 47th Avenue before turning left onto 46th Street as the sisters approached the crosswalk. The district attorney said Barry was looking toward the rear driver's side of the truck instead of straight ahead and continued southbound after the sisters were run over.
The turn direction is described differently across sources. An initial police account reported by Gothamist said the driver made a right turn, while the district attorney's account and the official vehicle record describe a left turn.
Two young sisters were in the crosswalk
Jael Zhinin sustained severe head and torso trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to prosecutors. Her sister Leslie was taken to a hospital with serious injuries and was still receiving care when the district attorney announced the indictment.
The New York Post reported that the crash happened outside IS 125, where the younger sister was a student, citing sources. The paper also quoted a teenage witness who described the family's anguish at the scene.
Records and reports describe a Ford delivery vehicle
The official vehicle record lists a 2016 Ford with the body type recorded as Carry All. Press accounts described the driver as operating a white water-delivery or Ready Refresh delivery truck.
Prosecutors focused on yielding and attention in the turn
The official crash record listed a limited or obstructed view as a contributing factor.
An indictment followed weeks later
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Barry was indicted on an 11-count indictment that included criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, assault, failure to yield and due-care charges. Gothamist reported that he could face up to seven years in prison and was ordered to return to court on Sept. 19.
Police later said Barry was arrested at a building on Broome Street in Manhattan. The New York Post reported that police found the delivery vehicle nearby at 46th Street and 48th Avenue.
47th Avenue has seen hundreds of crashes since 2022
The crash happened at 47th Avenue and 46th Street in Queens. CrashCountNYC's location context for 47th Avenue in Queens lists 435 crashes, 225 injuries, 12 serious injuries and 2 deaths since 2022.