Driver Fled After Hitting 74-Year-Old in Bay Ridge Crosswalk
A Honda SUV driver going north on Bay Ridge Avenue hit a 74-year-old man in the intersection near Ridge Boulevard at night. Police say the pedestrian was crossing against the signal, and still recorded driver inattention before the crash killed him.
What We Know
On Sept. 11, 2024, at about 8:56 p.m., a driver heading north on Ridge Boulevard hit 74-year-old pedestrian Segundo Reina-Gaon at Bay Ridge Avenue, according to police accounts reported by local outlets. Reporters described Reina-Gaon as crossing in the crosswalk; Brooklyn Paper reported that the impact pushed him into a parked car, and police said the driver fled. He was taken to NYU Langone-Brooklyn, where he was pronounced dead. The official crash record lists one pedestrian killed, a moving SUV, a parked SUV, and driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor for the moving driver. The official pedestrian record says Reina-Gaon was crossing against the signal, while the press accounts reviewed describe him in the crosswalk and do not address the signal.
A driver fled after the nighttime impact
The crash happened around 8:56 p.m. on Sept. 11, 2024, at Ridge Boulevard and Bay Ridge Avenue in Brooklyn. The official record lists one pedestrian killed.
Police said the driver fled. Paramedics took Reina-Gaon to NYU Langone-Brooklyn, where he was pronounced dead.
The corner sits on a Bay Ridge corridor with repeated harm
The fatal crash occurred at Ridge Boulevard and Bay Ridge Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
CrashCountNYC location data for Bay Ridge Avenue show 282 crashes, 137 injuries, 7 serious injuries, and 2 deaths along the corridor since 2022. After Reina-Gaon was killed, State Sen. Andrew Gounardes wrote that he had discussed safety concerns with transportation officials one block away two days earlier.
Records and reports describe a moving SUV and a parked SUV
The official crash record lists a 2012 Honda SUV traveling north and going straight ahead, with right front bumper damage. It also lists a 2020 Dodge SUV parked at the scene, with damage to the left rear quarter panel. Press accounts described the fleeing driver as being in a white SUV.
The record cites driver inattention; accounts differ on the signal detail
The official vehicle record lists driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor for the driver in the moving SUV. The official pedestrian record says Reina-Gaon was crossing against the signal.
The news accounts reviewed describe Reina-Gaon in the crosswalk and do not state whether the signal favored him. Daily News reported that video showed him only steps from the sidewalk when the driver hit him.
Bay Ridge neighbors raised money for his family
Brooklyn Paper later identified the pedestrian as Segundo Reina-Gaon and reported that Bay Ridge residents organized a GoFundMe for his family. The fundraiser described him as a father of five and grandfather of 20, and had raised more than $6,000 toward a $15,000 goal by Sept. 24.
Community Board 10 District Manager Josephine Beckmann told Brooklyn Paper that Reina-Gaon worked locally, had family in Ecuador, and would be missed by neighbors.
Police searched for the driver
Daily News reported that the NYPD set up a checkpoint at the intersection the next day and that the Highway Collision Investigation Squad was investigating. Brooklyn Paper reported that police were reviewing surveillance footage and asking the public for tips.
As of Brooklyn Paper's Sept. 24 follow-up, police had not released additional information about the driver, and a precinct commander said the case was still under investigation.