Police-vehicle driver strikes woman in fatal Brooklyn crash

Accounts differ about what happened before impact

The crash record places the collision at 570 Pennsylvania Avenue at 6:07 p.m. on Nov. 20, 2024. The Daily News reported that police responded around 6:10 p.m. near Pennsylvania and Riverdale avenues in East New York.

The Daily News, citing police and sources, reported that the woman was lying in the street when the northbound driver hit her. Witness Shawn Carter told the paper that she fell and rolled before the impact. CBS cited sources who described a possible medical episode and collapse, while FOX 5 reported that authorities believed she was already lying in the road.

Carter described the vehicle as “going real fast” and said it had no lights or sirens. That was his account, not a reported investigative finding.

Reports describe the vehicle differently

The official crash record lists a 2023 Toyota as a station wagon/SUV and records northbound travel straight ahead. The Daily News identified the vehicle as a black Toyota Sienna used by an NYPD warrant squad, describing it as an unmarked police van. FOX 5 described a Toyota minivan, and CBS cited police sources who called it an unmarked police van.

Reports place her death at Brookdale Hospital

The crash record identifies the woman as a 58-year-old pedestrian and records one person killed. The Daily News reported that EMS took her to Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center, where she could not be saved. FOX 5 said she was pronounced dead at Brookdale Hospital, and CBS reported that she died at the hospital.

The driver remained at the scene, according to the Daily News and CBS. CBS reported that the driver and passengers were taken to a local hospital for treatment for shock and that police suspected no criminality. The Daily News and FOX 5 reported no arrests; FOX 5 said the investigation was ongoing.