NYPD pursuit ends in fatal Inwood crash and fire
Two NYPD officers pursued Francisco Andres Guzman Parra, 31, before a 4:57 a.m. crash near Dyckman Street on April 2, 2025; the NYPD later suspended them amid an investigation into their actions.
Approximate reported location.
What We Know
Two officers from the NYPD's 50th Precinct pursued Francisco Andres Guzman Parra south on the Henry Hudson Parkway before he crashed near the Dyckman Street exit on April 2, 2025. His Honda CR-V caught fire, and he died at the scene. The city crash record places the collision at 4:57 a.m. Reports differ about what he collided with: CBS New York reported a lamppost, while The New York Times, citing police, reported a building. The NYPD suspended the officers while its force investigation unit and the state attorney general's office reviewed their actions. Police sources said the officers left without reporting the crash. Their union president later said they lost sight of the car and did not know it had crashed; the family's attorney said his investigation had not corroborated that account.
Reported vehicle makes
- Honda — accepted press report
Make information is incomplete for the vehicles involved in this crash.
The crash and fire
Officers from the Bronx's 50th Precinct pursued Guzman Parra south on the Henry Hudson Parkway. He exited at Dyckman Street in Inwood, where the Honda CR-V crashed and caught fire. Emergency medical workers pronounced him dead at the scene. The city crash record records one motorist killed and no other injuries.
Reports give different accounts of the impact. CBS New York reported that Guzman Parra collided with a lamppost and the Honda overturned. The New York Times, citing police, reported a collision with a building.
At the parkway exit
The collision happened on Dyckman Street by the southbound Henry Hudson Parkway exit in Inwood. The Daily News placed the crash just off the exit, at the edge of Inwood Hill Park.
Francisco Andres Guzman Parra and his family
Guzman Parra was 31. His family said he came to the United States from the Dominican Republic at age 5. A funeral was held for him on April 26.
After the crash, his stepmother, Carmen Colon, and his oldest sister, Francis, visited two police precincts seeking information. The medical examiner confirmed his identity on April 9. His sister Shakira Guzman and other relatives continued to seek answers about his final moments.
What investigators recorded
The city crash record lists unsafe speed as a contributing factor. The medical examiner determined that Guzman Parra died from blunt impact injuries to his head and torso and thermal injuries, and ruled his death an accident.
Scrutiny of the officers' response
The NYPD suspended the two officers. Its Force Investigation Division and the state attorney general's office reviewed the incident. Police sources told the Daily News that the officers returned to their Bronx precinct without reporting the crash. CBS New York later described surveillance footage in which a police cruiser took the exit seconds after Guzman Parra and appeared to turn away.
Accounts of what the officers knew differ. Police Benevolent Association president Patrick Hendry said they lost sight of the Honda and did not know it had crashed. Jeremy Feigenbaum, an attorney for Guzman Parra's family, said the family's investigation had not corroborated that claim.
Reports also differed on the pursuit itself: CBS New York reported that police called it unauthorized, while The New York Times reported that police said the initial pursuit appeared justified under the department's policy.