Driver Robert Blakney fatally hits man on Major Deegan
Robert Blakney was driving south on the Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx at about 5 a.m. on February 6 when he hit a 62-year-old man, who died at the scene.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
At about 5 a.m. on February 6, 2026, Robert Blakney was driving a Chevrolet Suburban south on the Major Deegan Expressway near East 233rd Street in the Bronx when he hit a 62-year-old man. Emergency responders pronounced the man dead at the scene. Blakney was taken to Montefiore Medical Center with minor injuries. Reports say the man was crossing the southbound lanes, while the city crash record describes him as walking along the highway against traffic. Police later charged Blakney with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
A fatal encounter on the southbound lanes
At about 5 a.m. on February 6, 2026, Robert Blakney was driving a Chevrolet Suburban south on the Major Deegan Expressway when he hit a 62-year-old man. News reports say the man was crossing the lanes; the city crash record instead describes him as walking along the highway against traffic.
The city crash record lists driver inexperience as a contributing factor.
Near East 233rd Street in Woodlawn
The collision occurred on the southbound Major Deegan Expressway near East 233rd Street in Woodlawn, where the highway passes through Van Cortlandt Park.
The man who died and the driver
The man who died was 62. Emergency responders pronounced him dead at the scene. Blakney, 47, was taken to Montefiore Medical Center with minor injuries.
A charge and a highway closure
Police charged Blakney with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle after determining he did not have a valid license. News 12 reported that he remained at the scene. Police closed all southbound lanes for several hours during the investigation.