Driver Charged in Washington Bridge Worker’s Death
Police later said driver Jesus Juarez made a sudden lane change as Herb Henry Alesna was repairing the Washington Bridge, where the city crash record lists one 41-year-old pedestrian killed at 10:22 p.m.
What We Know
Herb Henry Alesna, 41, was killed on Aug. 2, 2024, while working on repairs to the Washington Bridge in Manhattan. The city crash record lists the fatal crash at 10:22 p.m. at Washington Bridge and Amsterdam Avenue, with one pedestrian killed and no other injuries recorded. Police later told the Daily News that Jesus Juarez, 36, was heading into Manhattan when he made a sudden lane change, hit a Toyota Highlander, and then hit a construction truck that Alesna was standing next to. More than 16 months later, NYPD detectives charged Juarez with reckless driving, failing to yield to a pedestrian, and failure to exercise due care.
Police described a sudden lane change on the bridge
The official crash record places the fatal collision at 10:22 p.m. on Aug. 2, 2024, at Washington Bridge and Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan. It records one pedestrian killed and no other injuries.
Police told the Daily News that Jesus Juarez, 36, was heading into Manhattan when he made a sudden lane change on the Washington Bridge. According to that account, Juarez, driving a Dodge Durango, hit a Toyota Highlander in the left lane and then hit a construction truck that Herb Henry Alesna was standing next to.
The victim was repairing the Washington Bridge
The Daily News identified the man killed as Herb Henry Alesna, 41, a bridge repair worker from Maspeth, Queens. His widow, Eva Gyerko, told the newspaper that Alesna left behind a wife and infant child.
Charges followed a long investigation
After an investigation by NYPD Collision Investigation Squad detectives, police charged Juarez with reckless driving, failing to yield to a pedestrian, and failure to exercise due care, the Daily News reported. The newspaper reported that he was released without bail after arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court.
A fatal crash on a corridor with a heavy injury record
The crash was recorded at Washington Bridge and Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan, near the connection between Washington Heights and the Bronx.
CrashCountNYC’s location review for Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan counted 2,226 crashes, 1,161 injuries, 86 serious injuries, and 7 deaths from the start of 2022 through June 1, 2026.