Driver Fatally Hits Bronx Pedestrian Crossing With Signal
A hit-and-run tow truck driver fatally hit SM Akhtaruzzaman, 64, while he was crossing with the walk signal at Bronxwood Avenue and East 229th Street in the Bronx on Sept. 23, according to police accounts reported by the Daily News and the official crash record.
What We Know
SM Akhtaruzzaman, 64, was crossing Bronxwood Avenue at East 229th Street in the Bronx on Sept. 23, 2024, when a driver turning left hit him. The official crash record says the pedestrian was at the intersection and crossing with the signal; it also lists the driver as making a left turn and cites failure to yield right-of-way. Police told the Daily News that the driver had a green light and Akhtaruzzaman had the walk signal. The Daily News, citing police and video reviewed by ABC7, reported that the driver slowed and then fled up Bronxwood Avenue. Akhtaruzzaman was taken unconscious to Jacobi Medical Center, where he died.
A left-turning driver hit a man in the crosswalk
The official record places the crash at 12:37 p.m. on Sept. 23, 2024, at Bronxwood Avenue and East 229th Street. It says a 64-year-old male pedestrian was killed while crossing with the signal at the intersection.
Police told the Daily News that SM Akhtaruzzaman was in the crosswalk and had the walk signal when the driver, who had a green light, turned left onto Bronxwood Avenue and hit him. The official vehicle record lists the driver as making a left turn and cites failure to yield right-of-way.
The driver fled, according to police accounts
The Daily News reported that surveillance video obtained by ABC7 showed the driver running over Akhtaruzzaman, appearing to slow down, and then speeding away through another red light at East 230th Street. A witness told ABC7 that he followed the driver up Bronxwood Avenue and got a plate number for police before losing sight of the driver.
Medics took Akhtaruzzaman, who was unconscious, to Jacobi Medical Center. The Daily News reported that he could not be saved.
SM Akhtaruzzaman was close to home
The Daily News reported that Akhtaruzzaman was struck just down the block from his Wakefield home. His daughter, Israd Maria, described him to ABC7 as kind and respectful, saying he loved his family and would even feed stray cats.
The vehicle description differs by source
The official crash record lists a 2016 CHEV-TRUCK/BUS flat bed, with the driver traveling north and making a left turn. The Daily News, citing police, described the driver as a tow truck driver in a 2016 Chevy Silverado with a tow hitch.
East 229th Street has a recent crash history
The crash site is at Bronxwood Avenue and East 229th Street in the Bronx. Along East 229th Street, CrashCountNYC’s location context shows 117 crashes, 73 injuries, 4 serious injuries and 1 death since 2022.