Teen driver indicted in crash that killed two men
The Next Day
A city crash record says two motorists were killed and four injured on the Henry Hudson Parkway at 2:25 a.m. Aug. 24, 2024; prosecutors later said Jimmy Connors drove the wrong way before the fatal collision.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
At about 2:25 a.m. on Aug. 24, 2024, the city record documented a crash on the Henry Hudson Parkway in Manhattan that killed two motorists and injured four. Police and prosecutors later said Jimmy Connors, 17, drove a Chevrolet Silverado southbound in the northbound lanes and collided with a Dodge Challenger driven northbound by Kirk Walker, 38, with Robert McLaurin, 40, riding as passenger. Authorities said Connors also collided with an Audi and fled; he was later indicted on murder, manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and leaving-scene counts. Walker was to be married the next day, and McLaurin had come from North Carolina for the wedding.
Police said a driver went south in the northbound lanes
The city crash record documented the collision at 2:25 a.m. on Aug. 24, 2024, on the Henry Hudson Parkway, with two people killed and four injured. The record lists a pickup, two sedans and an SUV, and records improper passing or lane use as a contributing factor tied to the pickup record.
Police and prosecutors said Jimmy Connors drove a Chevrolet Silverado southbound in the parkway’s northbound lanes and collided with the Dodge Challenger driven by Kirk Walker. Authorities said Connors also collided with an Audi; reports also describe a Toyota RAV4 as involved in the crash sequence.
Kirk Walker and Robert McLaurin died after the collision
Later police and prosecutor accounts identified Kirk Walker, 38, as the Dodge Challenger driver and Robert McLaurin, 40, as his passenger and cousin. The official record lists the fatal occupants as a 38-year-old driver and a 40-year-old front passenger, while some same-day reports described the ages and roles differently.
Walker, a Washington Heights father of three, was to be married the next day. McLaurin lived in Dunn, North Carolina, and had come for Walker’s wedding, according to 1010 WINS.
Accounts place the crash on the Henry Hudson Parkway in Upper Manhattan
The official record identifies the crash location as the Henry Hudson Parkway in Manhattan. Press accounts place the collision near West 154th Street or West 165th Street, describing the area as Upper Manhattan, Harlem or near Washington Heights.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office later asked for witnesses who were on the Henry Hudson Parkway that night and may have seen the wrong-way driving before the fatal collision.
A search led to an arrest and indictment
Police said the Chevrolet’s driver fled after the crash, while a 21-year-old passenger stayed at the scene and was taken to a hospital. Mayor Eric Adams offered $1,000 of his own money for information leading to the driver, calling the case a tragedy for the families.
Police arrested Connors in September. In October, prosecutors said a grand jury indicted him on two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of manslaughter, two counts of criminally negligent homicide and three counts of leaving the scene of an accident.