Driver fatally struck pedestrian while reportedly doing donuts in Brooklyn parking lot.
Always Smiling
Police accounts say driver Zachary Cando lost control while doing donuts and fatally struck 21-year-old Ruiz in the Gateway Center parking lot; the official record logs one pedestrian death at 12:30 a.m. on July 13, 2025, at 395 Gateway Drive in Brooklyn.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police accounts reported that Cando told them he lost control while doing donuts in a 2023 Genesis G80 and struck Ruiz as she sat beside a curb in the Gateway Center parking lot. Press reports said EMS took Ruiz to a hospital, where she died. Cando was charged with criminally negligent homicide, reckless endangerment and reckless driving.
A reported loss of control.
Police accounts said Cando was driving a 2023 Genesis G80 when he veered and struck Ruiz, who was sitting beside a curb. The Daily News reported that court documents said Cando told police he "lost control" while "doing donuts."
In the Gateway Center parking lot.
The official record places the crash at 395 Gateway Drive in Brooklyn at 12:30 a.m. on July 13, 2025. Press accounts place it in the Gateway Center parking lot near Dave & Buster's and Erskine Street, where Ruiz was sitting alongside a curb.
Ruiz's family remembered her warmly.
The Daily News and New York Post identified Ruiz as Cando's girlfriend. The Daily News described Griselda Caraballo as Ruiz's sister-in-law's mother. Caraballo said, "She was a nice and kind girl, always smiling. They went out to take her nephews to eat and play at Dave & Busters."
The Daily News reported that Ruiz's nephews, ages 12 and 17, hurt their legs in the crash and were expected to recover. The official crash record lists zero injured people.
The official record lists contributing factors.
The crash record lists driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor; its sedan record also lists unsafe speed. Separately, press accounts said Cando told police he lost control while doing donuts.
Cando faced three charges.
The Daily News reported that Cando remained at the scene, was arrested hours later and was charged with criminally negligent homicide, reckless endangerment and reckless driving.
Reports differed about bail and release. The first Daily News report said Cando was ordered held on $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond, and the New York Post reported those bail amounts. A later Daily News story said he was released after arraignment. Media News Source reported bail of $100,000 cash or $200,000 bond.