Driver sought after fatal Major Deegan hit-and-run
Police said a Mercedes driver fled on foot after hitting Darryl Mathis’s stopped Ford Crown Victoria on the southbound Major Deegan, and the city crash record lists the 39-year-old driver as killed.
What We Know
Darryl Mathis, 39, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, died after a collision early Saturday on the southbound Major Deegan Expressway near Fordham Road. Police told Gothamist that Mathis had stopped a Ford Crown Victoria between the acceleration and right lanes before a Mercedes-Benz driver hit the back of the Ford and fled on foot. The city crash record lists two sedans traveling south, one motorist killed and driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor; the Mercedes entry also lists unsafe speed. Police said the investigation was continuing and no arrests had been announced as of March 24, 2025.
A stopped driver was hit from behind
The collision happened at about 3:47 a.m. on March 22, 2025, on the Major Deegan Expressway, according to the city crash record. Police told Gothamist that Darryl Mathis had stopped a Ford Crown Victoria between the acceleration and right lanes on the southbound side near Fordham Road before a Mercedes-Benz driver hit the back of the Ford.
The crash happened near Fordham Road in University Heights
Police placed the crash on the southbound Major Deegan Expressway near Fordham Road in University Heights. Gothamist reported that the area is within the NYPD’s 52nd Precinct, which includes University Heights, Bedford Park and Kingsbridge.
Gothamist, citing police data, reported that Mathis was the first person to die in a crash in the precinct so far in 2025, as of the March 24 report.
Darryl Mathis was identified as the driver who died
Police identified the man who died as Darryl Mathis, 39, of Elizabeth, New Jersey. The official record lists the fatality as a male driver and occupant of one of the sedans.
The record lists two sedans traveling south
The official record lists a 2009 Ford sedan and a 2021 Mercedes sedan, both traveling south. Police described Mathis’s Ford as a Crown Victoria and said the Mercedes-Benz driver hit the Ford from behind.
Police and the record point to driver conduct
The city crash record lists driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor for the crash, and the Mercedes entry also lists unsafe speed. Gothamist reported that police were seeking the Mercedes driver, who they said fled the scene on foot after the crash.
Investigators were still seeking the driver
The NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad was investigating, Gothamist reported. Police had not announced any arrests as of March 24, 2025.