Driver charged after two pedestrians killed in Sunset Park
The city record says two men crossing with the signal at Third Avenue and 52nd Street were killed at 4:22 a.m.; prosecutors later charged Juventino Anastacio Florentino in what police described as a speeding red-light hit-and-run.
What We Know
At 4:22 a.m. on July 11, 2025, the city crash record says two men crossing with the signal at Third Avenue and 52nd Street in Sunset Park were killed. Police and prosecutors identified them as Kex Un Chen, 80, and Faqiu Lin, 59. Press accounts citing police and surveillance video said Juventino Anastacio Florentino, 23, was driving a 2011 BMW south on Third Avenue, sped through a red light, hit the men and left the scene. Police later arrested him at his Staten Island home after investigators used video, license-plate readers and parts found at the scene. Prosecutors said he admitted driving and going home after the crash; his attorney noted he was not charged with drunk driving.
Two men were crossing with the signal
The city crash record places the crash at 4:22 a.m. on July 11, 2025, at Third Avenue and 52nd Street in Brooklyn. It records two pedestrians, ages 59 and 80, at the intersection and crossing with the signal when they were killed.
Police told news outlets the driver was southbound on Third Avenue in a dark-colored BMW sedan. Patch reported police said the driver went through a red light; CBS said surveillance video showed the crosswalk signal gave the men the right of way. ABC reported video showed the driver did not appear to brake before leaving the scene.
The victims were Brooklyn men
Police identified the men as Kex Un Chen, 80, and Faqiu Lin, 59. The official record lists both as male pedestrians who were killed at the intersection.
Chen’s son told the Daily News that his father immigrated from Fujian, China in 2016, lived with family in Brooklyn and was selfless. He said he did not know where Chen was going at that hour.
City Harvest said the men may have been on their way to its Mobile Market. ABC reported security video from that morning showed a line stretching for blocks outside the food pantry.
Investigators traced the BMW to Staten Island
The official vehicle record identifies the involved sedan as a 2011 BMW, with southbound travel and a pre-crash movement of going straight ahead. Damage was recorded on the right front bumper and front end.
Police sources told the Daily News that officers arrested Florentino after his mangled sedan was found in the driveway of a Staten Island home. ABC reported police used surveillance video and pieces found at the scene to track the BMW.
Charges focused on speed, the signal and leaving the scene
Prosecutors said Florentino admitted he had been driving alone and went home after hitting the men. They also said officers smelled alcohol when he was taken into custody and recorded a 0.06 percent blood alcohol content; his attorney noted in court that he was not facing drunk-driving charges.
Third Avenue has a long crash record
The crash happened at Third Avenue and 52nd Street in Sunset Park, a location news accounts described as under or near the Gowanus Expressway.
CrashCountNYC’s corridor view for 3rd Avenue in Brooklyn counted 2,163 crashes, 1,457 injuries, 82 serious injuries and 10 deaths since 2022.
Officials called for safety action after the deaths
State Sen. Kevin Chan came to the scene and said his office would support the victims’ families. City Councilmember Alexa Aviles said the deaths showed why Third Avenue needs serious safety investments from the state and city.