Driver charged after fatally hitting actor Wendy Davis in Midtown
MD Abdul Shomuz hit actor Wendy Davis while turning left onto Broadway at West 53rd Street at about 8:54 p.m. on Dec. 8, 2025, and police charged him with failure to yield months after she died.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
MD Abdul Shomuz was driving west on West 53rd Street when he turned left onto Broadway and hit Wendy Davis in the south crosswalk on Dec. 8, 2025, police said. Police said Davis had the right of way, and the official record says she was crossing with the signal. Davis, an actor who performed as Wenne Alton Davis and worked as a customs officer at JFK Airport, died at Mount Sinai West. Shomuz remained at the scene. Police did not charge him immediately, but in March 2026 they issued him a misdemeanor desk appearance ticket for failure to yield to a pedestrian.
A left turn across Broadway
Police said Shomuz was driving west in the left lane of West 53rd Street when he turned left onto Broadway and hit Davis as she crossed from east to west in the south crosswalk. Police identified the vehicle he was driving as a black 2023 Cadillac XT6 SUV.
The official record places the collision at 8:54 p.m. on Dec. 8, 2025, and records one pedestrian death and no other injuries. Police said Davis suffered severe head and body injuries; she died at Mount Sinai West.
The Midtown crossing
The collision happened at Broadway and West 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan, less than four blocks from Radio City Music Hall and the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Police placed Davis in the south crosswalk across Broadway as the driver turned onto the street.
Wendy Davis's work and community
Davis lived in Forest Hills, Queens, and performed as Wenne Alton Davis. Her screen credits included The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Blindspot and New Amsterdam. She also worked as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer at JFK Airport.
Her friend Joanna Briley said Davis was excited about a recent commercial audition and wanted to return to stand-up comedy. Davis enjoyed boxing and played on a JFK Customs hockey squad, according to the Daily News. Her neighbor Edward Reynoso recalled Davis telling him hours before the crash, "I love you, I appreciate you."
Right of way
Police said Davis had the right of way. The official record says she was crossing with the signal and identifies failure to yield the right of way as the driver's contributing factor.
A charge three months later
Shomuz remained at the scene, and police did not charge him immediately. On March 16, 2026, he turned himself in, and police issued him a desk appearance ticket for failure to yield to a pedestrian, a misdemeanor. The Manhattan district attorney's office said he was due in court on April 1.