Driver charged after bridge worker killed on Washington Bridge
Police later charged driver Jesus Juarez after the city recorded a 41-year-old pedestrian killed on the Washington Bridge at Amsterdam Avenue; news reports identified the victim as bridge repair worker Herb Henry Alesna.
What We Know
According to the police report, two westbound SUV drivers hit and fatally injured a 41-year-old man on Washington Bridge near Amsterdam Avenue on a Friday evening. The man, a pedestrian not at an intersection, suffered fatal head and crush injuries and died in the roadway. One driver in a 2018 Dodge was merging, and another in a 2015 Toyota was going straight. Both drivers left the scene.
Police describe a lane change before the fatal work-zone crash
The city crash record says one pedestrian, a 41-year-old man, was killed at Washington Bridge and Amsterdam Avenue at 10:22 p.m. on Aug. 2, 2024, in a crash involving two SUVs and a flatbed truck.
News reports citing police said Jesus Juarez, 36, was driving a Dodge Durango when he changed lanes and collided with a Toyota Highlander, then the crash involved a parked construction truck beside Herb Henry Alesna. The Daily News and the Post reported the crash at about 10:20 p.m.; Gothamist reported about 10:30 p.m.
The bridge crash was recorded at Amsterdam Avenue
The official record places the fatal crash at Washington Bridge and Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan. News reports described the Washington Bridge as the span connecting Upper Manhattan and the Bronx over the Harlem River.
CrashCountNYC location context for Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan shows 2,226 crashes, 1,161 injuries, 86 serious injuries and 7 deaths since 2022, underscoring the corridor’s broader record of traffic harm.
A repair worker, father and community member died at the scene
News reports identified the pedestrian killed as Herb Henry Alesna, 41, a Queens resident who was repairing or working on the Washington Bridge. The Daily News reported that he lived in Maspeth and left behind a wife and infant child.
Charges came after a long NYPD investigation
The Post and Gothamist reported that Juarez turned himself in and was released under court supervision. The Post reported that he pleaded not guilty; Gothamist quoted his lawyer, Julie Rendelman, saying, “It was a tragic accident, and he remained at the scene.”