Wrong-way driver charged after West Village crosswalk death
The official record says a driver disregarded traffic control while turning left at Morton Street and Seventh Avenue South, and police later accused Gary Levinson of driving the wrong way from a garage before hitting 27-year-old Valerie Schoeck in the crosswalk.
What We Know
Valerie Schoeck, 27, was crossing at Morton Street and Seventh Avenue South on Nov. 6, 2025, when a driver hit her in the crosswalk. The city crash record lists one pedestrian killed, describes the driver as making a left turn, and cites traffic control disregarded. Police later identified the driver as Gary Levinson and said he had turned the wrong way out of a Morton Street parking garage. Medics took Schoeck to Bellevue Hospital, where police said she died about 40 minutes later. Levinson remained at the scene, and police said in February 2026 that he was arrested on criminally negligent homicide and reckless driving charges.
A morning crossing turned fatal
The crash was recorded at 8:34 a.m. on Nov. 6, 2025, at Morton Street and Seventh Avenue South in Manhattan. The official record says a 27-year-old woman was crossing at the intersection in a marked crosswalk when the driver of a GMC made a left turn; one pedestrian was killed and no other injuries were recorded.
The Daily News, citing police, reported that Gary Levinson pulled out of a Morton Street parking garage, turned against traffic and hit Valerie Schoeck in the crosswalk. A witness who called 911 described Schoeck in medical distress on the ground, and medics took her to Bellevue Hospital, where police said she died about 40 minutes later.
The crash happened at a West Village crosswalk
The crash was recorded at Morton Street and Seventh Avenue South in Manhattan. The location matters because police described the driver’s turn from a Morton Street garage onto a one-way street as central to the case, and the official record places Schoeck at the intersection in a marked crosswalk.
Records and press accounts describe the GMC differently
The city crash record identifies the involved vehicle as a 2020 GMC station wagon or sport utility vehicle and records the driver as licensed in New York. The Daily News articles describe the vehicle as a rented black GMC Savana van. Both accounts identify a GMC and describe the driver as turning left before the fatal impact.
Investigators focused on a wrong-way turn
The official crash record lists traffic control disregarded as a contributing factor. Police sources told the Daily News that investigators believed Levinson purposely turned the wrong way out of the garage, and the later arrest report said he faced criminally negligent homicide and reckless driving charges.
Valerie Schoeck was planning a wedding
The Daily News later identified the woman killed as Valerie Schoeck and reported that she and her fiance, Ross Barlow, had planned to marry in June and honeymoon on safari. The article, citing a GoFundMe post in her honor, said the fundraiser supported an African wildlife conservancy and reflected her lifelong love of animals.
Police questioned the driver, then made an arrest
Police said Levinson remained at the scene and was questioned after the crash but was not immediately charged. On Feb. 25, 2026, the Daily News reported that police had arrested Levinson, then 62, on criminally negligent homicide and reckless driving charges.