Driver charged after right-turn crash kills woman in Dutch Kills
Abdul Billah, 60, was charged with failure to yield after he struck 38-year-old Desiree Soto while turning right at 30th Street and 39th Avenue in Queens at 12:49 p.m. on Aug. 31, 2025.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Abdul Billah, 60, was turning right at 30th Street and 39th Avenue when he struck Desiree Soto, 38, as she crossed 30th Street, police said. Soto died at a hospital. The city crash record cites failure to yield as a contributing factor. Police arrested Billah and charged him with failure to yield and aggravated unlicensed operation. A news report describes a blue Ford Transit van, while the city record classifies the vehicle as an SUV. The record lists the driver as licensed, despite the reported charge. Investigators were still working on the case as of Sept. 2.
The right turn and Soto's death
At 12:49 p.m. on Aug. 31, 2025, a driver making a right turn struck a pedestrian at 30th Street and 39th Avenue. The city crash record cites failure to yield right-of-way as a contributing factor.
Police identified the pedestrian as Desiree Soto, 38, of Long Island City. Emergency responders took her to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, where she was pronounced dead.
A crossing in Dutch Kills
The intersection of 30th Street and 39th Avenue is in Dutch Kills, Queens. Police said Soto was crossing 30th Street from east to west in the south crosswalk as Billah turned right.
Different accounts of the vehicle and impact
Police identified the driver as Abdul Billah, 60, of St. Albans. A news report describes him driving a blue 2020 Ford Transit van, while the city crash record classifies the vehicle as an SUV.
The city record places the point of impact at the vehicle's center front end. In an account cited in the criminal complaint, Billah told an officer he had hit Soto with a rear tire.
Arrest and charges
Police arrested Billah near the scene and charged him with failure to yield right-of-way and aggravated unlicensed operation, according to QNS. The city vehicle record lists the driver as licensed, despite the reported charge.
Billah was arraigned on Aug. 31 and ordered to return to court on Oct. 1. The police investigation remained open as of Sept. 2.