Tow Truck Driver Fatally Struck Bronx Pedestrian in Crosswalk
A hit-and-run tow truck driver making a left turn at Bronxwood Avenue and East 229th Street fatally struck 64-year-old SM Akhtaruzzaman as he crossed with the signal, according to police and the official crash record.
What We Know
SM Akhtaruzzaman, 64, was crossing Bronxwood Avenue at East 229th Street in Wakefield on Sept. 23, 2024, when a driver turning left hit him. The city crash record says the pedestrian was at the intersection and crossing with the signal; the Daily News, citing police, reported that Akhtaruzzaman was in the crosswalk with the walk signal and that the driver had a green light. The official record lists failure to yield right of way for the driver. The Daily News reported that the driver fled, while a witness followed long enough to provide a plate number to police. Akhtaruzzaman died at Jacobi Medical Center.
Crossing with the walk signal
The official crash record places the fatal collision at 12:37 p.m. on Sept. 23, 2024. It says a 64-year-old male pedestrian was at the intersection and crossing with the signal when a northbound driver was making a left turn.
The Daily News, citing police, identified the pedestrian as SM Akhtaruzzaman and reported that he was in the crosswalk with the walk signal. Police told the paper the driver had a green light while turning left onto Bronxwood Avenue.
A Wakefield intersection with a deadly record
The crash happened at Bronxwood Avenue and East 229th Street in the Bronx. CrashCountNYC's street context for East 229th Street shows 117 crashes, 73 injuries, 4 serious injuries and 1 death from Jan. 1, 2022, through June 1, 2026.
Truck details in the record and press account
The official record lists a 2016 Chevrolet truck or bus classified as a flat bed, with one occupant and a male driver licensed in New York. It records center-front impact damage after the driver was making a left turn.
The Daily News reported that police described the truck as a 2016 Chevy Silverado with a tow hitch, and the story referred to the person behind the wheel as a tow truck driver.
Failure to yield and flight
The official vehicle record lists failure to yield right of way as a contributing factor for the driver. The Daily News reported that surveillance video showed the driver slow down and then speed away, and that a witness followed long enough to get a plate number for police.
The Daily News also reported that News12 Bronx found three school-zone speeding tickets issued to the Silverado in the six weeks before the crash.
A family loss just down the block from home
The Daily News reported that Akhtaruzzaman was crossing just down the block from his Wakefield home. Medics took him to Jacobi Medical Center, where he died.
His daughter, Israd Maria, told Eyewitness News that her father was kind, respectful and loved his family, adding that he would even feed stray cats.