Driver turning left fatally strikes 3-year-old girl in Harlem.
Almost four
A 40-year-old driver turning left fatally struck 3-year-old Jaynelyse Valdez at Lenox Avenue and West 135th Street at 7:40 p.m. on July 11, 2024; the city recorded one pedestrian killed and three injured, and police said the family had the walk signal.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police said a 40-year-old driver turned left at Lenox Avenue and West 135th Street while a family crossed with the walk signal. The city recorded one pedestrian killed and three injured; news reports differ on which other pedestrians were struck and injured.
Police described a left turn across the crossing.
News 12 reported that police said the driver was traveling south on Lenox Avenue in a 2020 Nissan Pathfinder before turning left onto eastbound West 135th Street. Police told Gothamist the driver had a green light to turn while the family had the walk signal; the official record says Jaynelyse was crossing with the signal.
News 12 said police reported that the driver struck all four pedestrians in the marked crosswalk. ABC7 said he struck the 2- and 3-year-old children, while NY1 reported that the 2-year-old was also struck. The accounts differ on which pedestrians were struck.
Reports use different descriptions of the Nissan.
The city record classifies the 2020 Nissan as a station wagon/SUV. News 12 and Gothamist called it a Nissan Pathfinder; ABC7 and CBS described it as a Nissan SUV.
Reports differ on the surviving pedestrians.
Police identified the child who died as Jaynelyse Valdez, 3, of New Rochelle. Gothamist and NY1 identified the 37-year-old woman with her as her mother; ABC7 said the relationships between the woman and children were unclear. Gothamist described two younger brothers, ages 2 and 4 months. News 12 and NY1 also described the children as boys, while ABC7 described them as girls.
The city record counts three injured pedestrians. News 12 reported minor injuries to the woman and both younger boys. NY1 and ABC7 said the woman and infant were not injured and the 2-year-old was hurt; Gothamist and Streetsblog reported injuries to the mother and both younger children.
News 12 quoted New Rochelle resident Richard Penn saying, "No parent should have to bury their children."
The intersection is near Harlem Hospital.
The crash occurred at Lenox Avenue and West 135th Street in Harlem. Streetsblog described the crossing as the meeting of two wide, four-lane roads with few pedestrian features, and cited 14 reported crashes at the intersection in the preceding year that injured 11 people.
CBS reported that the driver carried Jaynelyse to Harlem Hospital across the street; Gothamist reported that she was pronounced dead there.
Reports differed on the driver's legal status.
News 12 reported that the driver remained at the scene and that no arrests had been made by Friday night. NY1 also said the investigation was ongoing and no arrests had been made. CBS reported that the driver was questioned and would not be charged.