Driver faces murder charges in Chinatown cyclist and pedestrian deaths
Autumn Donna Ascencio Romero was driving off the Manhattan Bridge at about 7:26 a.m. on July 19, 2025, when prosecutors say she fatally struck cyclist Kevin Cruickshank and May Kwok, who was sitting on a Chinatown bench.
Approximate reported location.
What We Know
Prosecutors say Autumn Donna Ascencio Romero drove a Chevrolet Malibu west off the Manhattan Bridge at high speed on July 19, 2025. Near Bowery and Canal Street, she struck cyclist Kevin Scott Cruickshank and May Kwok, who was sitting on a bench. Both died at the scene. Romero also collided with an unoccupied NYPD van. The city crash record identifies unsafe speed as a factor. Prosecutors charged Romero with murder and other offenses; her lawyer argued that the passenger grabbed the steering wheel. Romero and passenger Kennedy LeCraft pleaded not guilty in August.
The morning crash
Prosecutors say Romero drove a blue Chevrolet Malibu west off the Manhattan Bridge at high speed and struck Cruickshank and Kwok near Bowery and Canal Street. She then collided with a parked, unoccupied NYPD van. Emergency responders pronounced both people dead at the scene.
After the collision, Romero and passenger Kennedy LeCraft left the sedan and tried to get away, prosecutors said. Police apprehended them nearby. The city crash record reports one person injured in addition to the two people killed.
At the bridge exit
The collision happened where drivers leaving the Manhattan Bridge enter Chinatown at Bowery and Canal Street. Police said Romero drove onto a pedestrian area near the intersection, where Kwok was seated on a bench. Street-safety advocates had called for changes to the bridge approach and Canal Street before the crash.
The people who died
Kevin Scott Cruickshank
Cruickshank, 55, lived in Manhattan and was riding his bicycle when Romero struck him. He worked at JPMorgan Chase for more than a decade. His family described him as a welcoming neighbor who loved long rides, supported Transportation Alternatives and was preparing for its September Century ride.
May Kwok
Kwok lived with her brother Peter in Bushwick, Brooklyn. She frequently visited Chinatown, where she went to church and took walks. Her brother described her as a "free spirit." She was sitting on a bench when Romero struck her.
Speed and a disputed account
The city crash record identifies unsafe speed as a contributing factor for the sedan. Prosecutors alleged that Romero was driving off the bridge at high speed before she lost control. Romero's lawyer offered a different account, arguing that LeCraft grabbed the steering wheel and Romero pressed the accelerator in reaction. That account was a defense claim, not an established finding.
Charges and calls for a safer street
Prosecutors charged Romero with murder, manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide and other offenses. LeCraft faced weapon, stolen-property and unauthorized-use charges. Both women pleaded not guilty in August.
After the deaths, city transportation officials announced plans for barriers protecting the pedestrian area, narrower lanes on the bridge approach and a process to lower the approach speed limit from 35 to 20 mph. The announced speed-limit change required public comment.