Driver Charged in Fatal Upper East Side Hit-Run
Prosecutors said Vincent Spano backed an oil truck through Lexington Avenue and East 61st Street, checked on Terrill Jenkins and drove away; the official record lists one pedestrian killed there on March 20, 2026.
What We Know
Official crash records place the crash around half past 4 AM on March 20, 2026, at Lexington Avenue and East 61st Street in Manhattan, where a 44-year-old pedestrian was killed. The records list a tanker, the driver’s pre-crash movement as backing, and unsafe backing as a contributing factor. Prosecutors said Vincent Spano backed an oil truck through the intersection and over Terrill Jenkins in the crosswalk, checked on him, and left; police said he later turned himself in and was charged. Public accounts do not fully align on the truck’s path: early reports described a southbound vehicle, while the official vehicle record lists northbound travel and backing.
Official Crash Data
Collision ID
4886352
Date
March 20, 2026
Time
4:40 a.m.
Location
Lexington Ave & E 61st St, Manhattan
Borough
MANHATTAN
Fatalities
1
Pedestrians killed
1
Vehicles listed
Truck, Tanker
Contributing factors listed
Backing Unsafely
Prosecutors said the driver backed through the intersection
The official crash record places the fatal crash at Lexington Avenue and East 61st Street at 4:40 a.m. on March 20, 2026, and records one pedestrian death.
A criminal complaint described by the Daily News said Vincent Spano was operating a dark-green and red oil truck when he backed through the intersection and hit Terrill Jenkins, who was in the crosswalk. Prosecutors said Spano stopped, checked on Jenkins, then got back in the truck and drove away.
Jenkins was nearing work when he was fatally injured
The Daily News reported that Jenkins, 44, lived in Harlem and was headed to a Home Depot three blocks from the crash site. The paper reported that he was able to call coworkers while losing consciousness.
Lexington Avenue has a long crash record
The crash happened at Lexington Avenue and East 61st Street in Manhattan. Crash Finder shows that the Lexington Avenue corridor in Manhattan had 1,473 crashes, 816 injuries, 51 serious injuries and 3 deaths from the start of 2022 through June 1, 2026.
Records and reports describe an oil-truck collision
The official record lists the involved vehicle as a tanker, a 2004 KW truck or bus, with northbound travel direction and pre-crash movement recorded as backing. ABC said police identified Spano as backing into the victim with his truck; the Daily News later described Spano as operating a dark-green and red oil truck.
Spano turned himself in and faced criminal charges
At arraignment, prosecutors requested bail, but Judge Jeffrey Gershuny granted Spano supervised release. The Daily News reported that Spano was due back in court on May 6.