Box-truck driver charged after NYPD officer dies on BQE
Police said Carlos Almanzar Toribio drove away after an Aug. 27 crash on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway Ramp that killed 30-year-old off-duty NYPD Officer Jay Peña.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Jay Peña, a 30-year-old off-duty NYPD officer, died after a crash involving his motorcycle and a box truck on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway Ramp on Aug. 27, 2025. The official record lists one person killed and no injuries. News reports placed the crash near Exit 27 and Atlantic Avenue and said police accused the box-truck driver, later identified as Carlos Almanzar Toribio, of leaving the scene. Police later arrested Toribio on charges that included leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death. Reports disagree on the exact time and on whether Peña was pronounced dead at the scene or after transport to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn.
Morning crash on the westbound BQE
The official crash record lists the crash at 8:45 a.m. on Aug. 27, 2025, on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway Ramp. It records one motorist killed, no people injured, and two involved vehicles: a motorcycle and a box truck, both traveling west.
News reports placed the crash near Exit 27 and Atlantic Avenue in Cobble Hill. Police told reporters that an off-duty NYPD officer riding a Yamaha motorcycle was involved with a driver operating a box truck in the same direction, and that the driver did not remain at the scene.
Near Exit 27 and Atlantic Avenue
The official record locates the crash on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway Ramp. Multiple reports described the scene as the westbound BQE near Exit 27, which connects with Atlantic Avenue in Cobble Hill, in the direction of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge or Staten Island.
The Daily News reported that police closed the westbound lanes during the investigation. Brooklyn Eagle, citing Notify NYC, reported that the scene had cleared by 12:08 p.m.
Jay Peña was identified after initial reports
The official record describes the person killed as a 30-year-old male motorcycle driver. Later reports identified him as Officer Jay Peña, an off-duty NYPD officer assigned to the 84th Precinct and a Sunset Park resident.
Brooklyn Reporter said viewing services were held at Clavin Funeral Home in Bay Ridge, followed by a funeral Mass at Our Lady of Angels Church and burial at Green-Wood Cemetery. The same report said Peña was remembered by members of a local martial arts center as a dedicated student, teammate, and friend.
Driver accused of leaving the scene
Police later arrested Carlos Almanzar Toribio, 30. Reports said he was charged with leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death and with operating an unregistered vehicle without a license plate.
At a later Brooklyn Supreme Court arraignment, the Daily News reported that Toribio pleaded not guilty, bail was continued, and the case was adjourned. The paper also reported a courtroom disturbance involving relatives after the proceeding.
Records do not line up on every detail
Published reports gave different times for the crash, from a 911 call at 8:27 a.m. to other accounts placing the collision later that morning; the official crash record lists 8:45 a.m. Reports also differed on whether Peña was pronounced dead at the scene or after transport to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn.