Driver charged after German tourist dies at Midtown crossing
Twenty-three years
At about 2:40 p.m. on September 24, 2025, police say Mohamed Abouzaid reversed a minivan into two German tourists at East 40th Street and Fifth Avenue; Alexandra Sabine Lewalter Maric died.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police say Mohamed Abouzaid reversed a minivan into a married couple visiting from Germany as they crossed East 40th Street at Fifth Avenue on September 24, 2025. Alexandra Sabine Lewalter Maric, 50, died at the scene, and her husband was hospitalized with a skull fracture. Police said the couple had the right of way and were pinned against a box truck. Officers found Abouzaid several blocks away and charged him with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and failing to yield to pedestrians. The official crash record places the collision at about 2:40 p.m. and records one death and one injury.
Police say the driver reversed into a couple crossing the street.
Police said a minivan driver was blocking the crosswalk when he reversed at high speed, pinning the couple against a box truck. Police said the couple had the right of way. The official crash record identifies unsafe backing and failure to yield as factors for the reversing driver.
The crossing is near the New York Public Library.
The collision happened at East 40th Street and Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, near the New York Public Library. The couple were visiting New York from Germany.
One visitor died, and her husband was hospitalized.
Police identified the woman who died as Alexandra Sabine Lewalter Maric, 50, of Hamburg. Her husband, 55, suffered a skull fracture. CBS reported that he was hospitalized in stable condition, while ABC7 described him as critically injured. The FDNY also reported a third person with minor injuries, according to CBS; the official crash record counts one injured person.
Reports describe a minivan and a box truck.
ABC7 identified the reversing vehicle as a blue Toyota Sienna. The official record categorizes it as a station wagon or SUV and records a box truck as the second vehicle.
Officers found the driver several blocks away.
Police said the driver left the scene. Officers stopped Mohamed Abouzaid, 40, of the Bronx, near West 38th Street and Eighth Avenue. Police charged him with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and failing to yield to pedestrians. The investigation remained open when CBS reported the charges.