Driver in white SUV flees after fatal Bay Ridge crash
How is he?
A driver in a white SUV hit Segundo Reina-Gaon at Ridge Boulevard and Bay Ridge Avenue at about 8:56 p.m. on September 11, 2024, then fled; the 74-year-old died at a hospital.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
A driver traveling north on Ridge Boulevard hit Segundo Reina-Gaon as he crossed at Bay Ridge Avenue at about 8:56 p.m. on September 11, 2024. News reports described the vehicle as a white SUV and said the driver fled after the impact pushed Reina-Gaon into a parked car. Paramedics took the 74-year-old to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, where he died. The city crash record lists driver inattention or distraction as a factor for the moving vehicle. Reina-Gaon was a father of five and grandfather of 20. By September 24, Bay Ridge residents had raised more than $6,000 for his family, and police said the investigation continued.
The crossing and the hit-and-run
At about 8:56 p.m. on September 11, 2024, Segundo Reina-Gaon was crossing Ridge Boulevard from west to east at Bay Ridge Avenue when a northbound driver hit him. News reports said the impact pushed him into a parked car and that the driver fled.
Paramedics took Reina-Gaon, 74, to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, where he died.
A Bay Ridge intersection under scrutiny
The crash happened at Ridge Boulevard and Bay Ridge Avenue in Brooklyn. State Sen. Andrew Gounardes said he had discussed street safety concerns with city transportation officials one block away just two days earlier. Residents told ABC7 they worried about reckless driving in the area.
A father and grandfather remembered
Reina-Gaon was a father of five and grandfather of 20. Community Board 10 district manager Josephine Beckmann told Brooklyn Paper that, from conversations with residents, she understood he worked locally and had family in Ecuador. A fundraiser for his family drew more than $6,000 from the community by September 24.
The vehicles and the recorded driver factor
News reports described the departing driver's vehicle as a white SUV. The city crash record identifies a northbound 2012 Honda and a parked 2020 Dodge, both classified as station wagons or sport utility vehicles. It lists driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor for the Honda driver.
Police sought the driver
Police reviewed surveillance footage, and officers set up a checkpoint at the intersection the next day. By September 24, police had released no further information about the driver, and 68th Precinct commanding officer Kristen Schafer said the case remained under investigation.