Driver fled after fatally hitting man 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
According to the police report, a male driver in a Honda SUV was traveling north on Bay Ridge Avenue near Ridge Boulevard around 8:56 p.m. when he hit a 74-year-old man in the intersection. The pedestrian was crossing against the signal. Police recorded driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor. The pedestrian sustained crush injuries to his entire body and was killed.
A driver fled after the impact
The city crash record places the collision at Ridge Boulevard and Bay Ridge Avenue at 8:56 p.m. on Sept. 11, 2024, and records one pedestrian death. Police told reporters that a driver in a white SUV was traveling north on Ridge Boulevard when the driver hit Segundo Reina-Gaon as he crossed at the intersection. Brooklyn Paper reported that after the driver hit him, Reina-Gaon was pushed into a parked car. The driver fled.
Segundo Reina-Gaon was taken to the hospital
Reina-Gaon, 74, was taken to NYU Langone-Brooklyn, where police said he died. Later coverage identified him as a Bay Ridge neighbor, a father of five and a grandfather of 20, and reported that residents raised money to help his family with final arrangements.
Bay Ridge Avenue has a recent crash history
The crash happened at Ridge Boulevard and Bay Ridge Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. For Bay Ridge Avenue, CrashCountNYC's location context counts 282 crashes, 137 injuries, 7 serious injuries and 2 deaths since 2022.
Police sought tips as neighbors organized support
The NYPD Highway Collision Investigation Squad investigated the fatal crash. The Daily News reported that officers set up a checkpoint at the intersection the next day, while Brooklyn Paper reported that police were reviewing surveillance footage and asking for tips. Later that month, Brooklyn Paper reported that the case was still under investigation and that a community fundraiser had raised more than $6,000.