Northbound driver continued north after fatal FDR Drive crash.
Sapphire
A northbound driver struck 31-year-old Mary Rowell on FDR Drive at 12:14 a.m. on June 29, 2024, and continued north; her cousin later said Rowell followed a construction sign she thought led to a sidewalk but instead reached the roadway.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police said a northbound driver struck Rowell near Exit 5 at East Houston Street while she was crossing and continued north without stopping. Reports said she was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her cousin later said Rowell followed a construction sign she thought led to a sidewalk but instead reached the roadway. Police accounts described a sedan, while the detailed official vehicle record identified a 2003 Ford station wagon or sport utility vehicle.
A driver continued north.
The official record lists the crash at 12:14 a.m. on June 29, 2024; 1010 WINS reported it happened at about 12:15 a.m.
Police accounts said Rowell, 31, was crossing near Exit 5 at East Houston Street when a northbound driver in the left lane struck her and continued north without stopping. 1010 WINS said she was crossing from east to west. Reports said she was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Her family described a confusing route.
Police accounts placed the crash near FDR Drive's Exit 5 at East Houston Street. Rowell's cousin Denise said Rowell had been with friends and family in East River Park before leaving.
Denise Rowell said her cousin followed a construction sign she thought led to a sidewalk on Houston Street but instead reached the northbound lanes. The family believed clearer signs and barricades could have prevented the crash; that explanation was presented as the family's view, not a police finding.
Rowell was remembered for her generosity.
Rowell was originally from Brooklyn and was the mother of a 3-year-old daughter, according to a report recounting her family's account. She shared an East Harlem apartment with her brother Cleveland, and friends and relatives gathered outside the building for a memorial.
Her brother Cleveland Rowell remembered her generosity, saying, "She got that kind heart where she would give you anything she had if you asked for it."
Reports differ on the vehicle type.
Police accounts described a sedan; the New York Post specified a black sedan, while 1010 WINS reported a dark-colored sedan. The official collision summary also lists a sedan, but its detailed vehicle entry describes a 2003 Ford station wagon or sport utility vehicle.
The investigation remained open.
Reports said no arrests had been made and the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad was investigating.