Hit-and-run driver killed Elvin Sanchez on Linden Boulevard
Prosecutors said Anselm Okeke hit Elvin Sanchez, 68, at Linden Boulevard and Ashford Street in East New York around 12:55 a.m. on New Year's Day; city records list one pedestrian killed and failure to yield.
What We Know
Elvin Sanchez, 68, was crossing Linden Boulevard at Ashford Street in East New York shortly before 1 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2026, when a driver hit him. Police said Sanchez was crossing against the pedestrian signal. The city crash record lists one pedestrian killed and cites failure to yield. The Daily News, citing prosecutors and a criminal complaint, reported that Anselm Okeke, 70, drove a 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis with Pennsylvania plates, hit Sanchez, stopped without getting out and left; the paper said Okeke later admitted he got scared and fled. EMTs took Sanchez to Brookdale University Hospital, where he died. Neighbors told the Daily News he had been grieving his wife's recent death.
Official Crash Data
Collision ID
4868847
Date
January 1, 2026
Time
12:55 a.m.
Location
Linden Blvd & Ashford St, Brooklyn
Borough
BROOKLYN
Fatalities
1
Pedestrians killed
1
Vehicles listed
Sedan
Contributing factors listed
Failure to Yield Right-of-Way, Driver Inattention/Distraction
A New Year's Day crossing turned fatal
The crash happened around 12:55 a.m. at Linden Boulevard and Ashford Street in East New York. City records list one pedestrian, a 68-year-old man, killed and no other injuries.
Streetsblog reported that the driver hit the man while he was crossing Linden Boulevard and then fled. The Daily News later identified the pedestrian as Elvin Sanchez and reported that police said he was crossing against the pedestrian signal.
Sanchez was remembered by neighbors
EMTs took Sanchez to Brookdale University Hospital, where the Daily News reported he died less than six hours after the crash.
Prosecutors said the driver stopped, then left
The Daily News reported that police arrested Anselm Okeke, 70, later that day. Citing prosecutors and a criminal complaint, the paper reported that Okeke hit Sanchez, stopped without getting out and then fled.
According to the Daily News, Okeke admitted to striking Sanchez and told police he got scared and fled.
Records describe a sedan; the Daily News named the model
The city crash record lists the involved vehicle type as a sedan. The Daily News reported that prosecutors described the car as a 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis with Pennsylvania plates.
City vehicle records differ on the pre-crash movement, listing the sedan as making a left turn in one entry and going straight ahead in later entries.
The official record cites failure to yield
The city crash record lists failure to yield right-of-way as a contributing factor. Vehicle-level entries also list driver inattention or distraction.
The person record says Sanchez was crossing against the signal, and both Streetsblog and the Daily News reported that police gave the same detail.
Linden Boulevard has a long crash record
The crash happened at Linden Boulevard and Ashford Street in Brooklyn's 11207 zip code.
CrashCountNYC location context identifies the site as part of Linden Boulevard in Brooklyn. From 2022 through June 1, 2026, that corridor had 2,223 crashes, 1,585 injuries, 64 serious injuries and 8 deaths.