Ambulance Driver Fatally Hits Woman at Ocean Avenue Left Turn
City records say Cherry Cayetano Sobel, 44, was crossing with the signal when a driver in an ambulance making a left turn failed to yield at Ocean Avenue and Avenue O; news reports said the driver kept going.
What We Know
Cherry Cayetano Sobel, a 44-year-old Brooklyn pedestrian, was killed at Ocean Avenue and Avenue O on the morning of April 2, 2026. The official crash record says she was at the intersection crossing with the signal when a licensed driver in a 2013 Ford ambulance was making a left turn and failed to yield. News reports citing police and video said the driver was in a Maimonides Medical Center ambulance, turned left from Avenue O onto Ocean Avenue, hit Sobel and continued down the street. Investigators told multiple outlets they were examining whether the driver realized a person had been hit. Maimonides said EMT staff involved were suspended pending the NYPD investigation, and ABC7 reported that no charges had been filed as of April 4.
Official Crash Data
Collision ID
4889518
Date
April 2, 2026
Time
6:36 a.m.
Location
Ocean Ave & Avenue O, Brooklyn
Borough
BROOKLYN
Fatalities
1
Pedestrians killed
1
Vehicles listed
Ambulance, AMBULANCE
Contributing factors listed
Failure to Yield Right-of-Way
A left turn at a signalized crossing
The crash happened at about 6:36 a.m. at Ocean Avenue and Avenue O in Brooklyn. The official record says Sobel was a pedestrian at the intersection, crossing with the signal, when a licensed male driver in a Ford ambulance was making a left turn. The record lists failure to yield the right of way as a contributing factor.
Reporters citing police and video described the driver as traveling west on Avenue O and turning left onto Ocean Avenue in a Maimonides Medical Center ambulance. Police and news reports said the driver hit Sobel and continued from the scene. Sobel was taken to Maimonides Medical Center, where she died.
Cherry Cayetano Sobel was identified as the pedestrian who died
Police identified the pedestrian as Cherry Cayetano Sobel, 44, a Brooklyn resident. The New York Daily News reported, citing a family friend, that Sobel was a registered nurse and mother of two. The New York Post reported that her husband said she was on her regular route to work when she was hit.
ABC7 reported that the driver was a 42-year-old man. Maimonides said its EMT staff involved in the incident were suspended pending the outcome of the NYPD investigation.
Reports tied the ambulance to Maimonides Medical Center
The official crash record identifies the vehicle as a 2013 Ford ambulance with two occupants. Multiple outlets reported that the driver was in a private ambulance operated by Maimonides Medical Center.
The Daily News reported that video showed traffic waiting for the light to change before the driver proceeded through the light, turned left and hit Sobel. The outlet also reported that the roadway where Sobel was hit was being repaved and that no crosswalk was visible there because the top layer of asphalt had been stripped away.
Investigators examined whether the driver knew a person had been hit
Police initially described the case as a hit-and-run, and several outlets reported that the driver kept going after the impact. CBS New York reported that a witness said a bus driver tried to chase the ambulance driver, but could not catch up.
CBS New York, ABC7 and the Daily News each reported that investigators considered whether the driver realized a pedestrian had been hit. ABC7 reported on April 4 that no charges had been filed.
Ocean Avenue has a long crash record
The crash happened at Ocean Avenue and Avenue O in Midwood, Brooklyn. CrashCountNYC location data for Ocean Avenue in Brooklyn shows 1,188 crashes, 965 injuries, 63 serious injuries and 4 deaths since 2022.
Streetsblog reported that Ocean Avenue is a Vision Zero priority corridor and that the area around Avenue O is a Vision Zero priority area, citing city transportation data.
Maimonides suspended staff as police investigated
Maimonides Medical Center said its EMT staff involved in the incident were suspended pending the outcome of the NYPD investigation and said the hospital family was devastated by the loss.
CBS New York reported that after the crash, police officers came to Avenue O and Ocean Avenue and handed out flyers warning drivers and pedestrians about turning-vehicle dangers.