Teen Charged After Wrong-Way Henry Hudson Crash Killed Two
Prosecutors said teen Jimmy Connors drove the wrong way on the Henry Hudson Parkway before a 2:25 a.m. crash in which Kirk Walker and Robert McLaurin died and four motorists were injured.
What We Know
Kirk Walker, 38, and Robert McLaurin, 40, died after a wrong-way crash on the Henry Hudson Parkway in Upper Manhattan early on Aug. 24, 2024. The official record lists two motorists killed and four injured in a crash involving a pickup truck, two sedans and an SUV. Police and prosecutors said Jimmy Connors, then 17, drove a Chevrolet pickup south in the northbound lanes before hitting the Dodge Challenger Walker was driving, with McLaurin as passenger. Prosecutors later indicted Connors on charges including murder, manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and leaving the scene. Press reports said Walker was to be married the next day and had been coming from his bachelor party.
Police described a wrong-way crash in the northbound lanes
The official crash record places the collision on the Henry Hudson Parkway at 2:25 a.m. on Aug. 24, 2024, with two motorists killed and four injured. It lists a pickup truck, two sedans and an SUV among the vehicles involved.
Police said a driver in a Chevrolet pickup was traveling south in the parkway’s northbound lanes when he hit a northbound Dodge Challenger. Police also said the driver hit an Audi, and reports described damage or contact involving a Toyota SUV.
Walker and McLaurin were identified as the two men who died
Police and prosecutors identified the men who died as Kirk Walker, 38, and Robert McLaurin, 40. The official record lists the driver of the Dodge sedan as a 38-year-old man and the front passenger as a 40-year-old man.
Press reports said Walker was from Manhattan and was set to be married the next day. The New York Post and amNewYork reported that McLaurin was Walker’s cousin and that the men had been coming from Walker’s bachelor party.
The impact involved the Challenger and other motorists
The official record lists the Dodge sedan traveling north before the crash and records center-front damage. It lists the pickup truck traveling south and records it as demolished.
Police said the driver in the Chevrolet pickup also hit an Audi. Reports said the Audi driver and a passenger were taken to a hospital in stable condition, and one early report said the operators of the Audi and Toyota did not sustain serious injuries.
The official factor and the criminal case both point to lane use
The official crash record lists improper passing or lane usage as a contributing factor. Police and prosecutors described the central conduct as a driver traveling the wrong way in the northbound lanes of the Henry Hudson Parkway.
A later lawsuit reported by the New York Post alleged Connors had been drinking before the crash and alleged an off-duty NYPD officer chased him after an earlier crash. Those allegations came from a civil filing; the criminal indictment reported by amNewYork charged Connors with murder, manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and leaving the scene.
Police searched for the driver before prosecutors announced an indictment
Police initially said the pickup driver fled after the crash while a passenger remained at or near the scene and was taken to a hospital. Mayor Eric Adams later offered $1,000 of his own money for information leading to the driver’s arrest and conviction.
Gothamist reported on Sept. 14 that police had arrested a 17-year-old boy in the case. amNewYork later identified him as Jimmy Connors of Syosset and reported that Manhattan prosecutors had indicted him and that a judge ruled he would be tried as an adult.
Where
Henry Hudson Pkwy