Driver sought after fatal Longwood hit-and-run
Across an Ocean
A driver struck and killed 56-year-old Alhadji Fofana at Westchester Avenue and East 163rd Street in the Bronx at 6:31 a.m. on September 25, 2024; police later said the driver tried to set the van on fire and fled on foot.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police said a driver struck Fofana near Westchester Avenue and East 163rd Street on September 25, 2024, then tried to set the van on fire before fleeing on foot. Reports differ on which street Fofana was crossing and whether the vehicle was a van or minivan; the official record classifies it as a station wagon or sport utility vehicle.
Fofana lived nearby.
The New York Post identified the man as Alhadji Fofana, 56, and reported that he lived about a mile away in Crotona Park East. The Post said he was taken to Lincoln Medical Center, where he died; the Daily News also reported that medics took him to Lincoln Hospital and that he could not be saved.
Reports differ on the crossing and vehicle.
The Daily News reported Fofana was crossing East 163rd Street near Westchester Avenue. The New York Post, citing police, said he was crossing Westchester Avenue in a crosswalk near East 163rd Street.
The official record identifies a 2008 Ford classified as a station wagon or sport utility vehicle. The Post described a 2008 Ford van, while an initial News 12 report said police were seeking a burgundy minivan.
The intersection drew community concerns.
The crash occurred at Westchester Avenue and East 163rd Street in Longwood. A later News 12 report said community members raised concerns about speeding and confusing traffic patterns at the intersection; those concerns were not established as causes of this crash.
Police continued searching for the driver.
Police told the Post that the driver abandoned the Ford van after trying to set it on fire, then fled on foot. The Post reported that the driver had not been caught by Thursday afternoon. An initial News 12 report said a burgundy minivan was reported heading south on East 163rd Street after the crash; a later News 12 report said police were still searching.