EMT Charged After Pedestrian Killed at Ocean Avenue and Avenue O
City records say a licensed driver turning a Ford ambulance failed to yield to Cherry Cayetano Sobel as she crossed with the signal at Ocean Avenue and Avenue O; police later charged EMT Michael Gontar.
What We Know
Cherry Cayetano Sobel, 44, was crossing with the signal at Ocean Avenue and Avenue O in Brooklyn on the morning of April 2, 2026, when the driver of an ambulance making a left turn failed to yield, city records show. News reports identified the ambulance as a private Maimonides Medical Center ambulance and said the driver kept going after the crash. Sobel was taken to Maimonides, where she died. Maimonides suspended staff involved in the crash while police investigated. In July, police said EMT Michael Gontar turned himself in and was charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care.
A left turn at the intersection
The crash happened at about 6:36 a.m. on April 2, 2026, at Ocean Avenue and Avenue O in Brooklyn. City records list one pedestrian killed and say the driver of an ambulance was making a left turn and failed to yield.
The official record says the 44-year-old pedestrian was at the intersection and crossing with the signal. News reports identified her as Cherry Cayetano Sobel and said she was taken to Maimonides Medical Center, where she died.
Cherry Cayetano Sobel was on her way to work
Family and friends told reporters that Sobel was a registered nurse and a mother of two. Her husband told the New York Post that she was on her regular route to work when she was killed.
The driver was in a Maimonides ambulance
City records list the involved vehicle as a 2013 Ford ambulance with two occupants. News reports said it was a private ambulance operated by Maimonides Medical Center.
Several outlets reported that the driver kept going after the collision. ABC7 reported that detectives believed the driver likely did not realize a person had been hit, while other reports described the case as a hit-and-run investigation.
Ocean Avenue has a long crash record
The crash happened at Ocean Avenue and Avenue O in Brooklyn. CrashCountNYC’s location context for Ocean Avenue shows 1,188 crashes, 965 injuries, 63 serious injuries and 4 deaths since 2022, making this corridor a persistent danger point for people traveling through the area.
Maimonides suspended staff during the investigation
Maimonides Medical Center said its EMT staff involved in the incident were suspended pending the outcome of the NYPD investigation. Later coverage reported that Gontar remained suspended without pay after police filed charges.