Driver Hits Bronx Bench, Killing 72-Year-Old Woman
A 55-year-old driver whom police said suffered a medical episode hit a bench at Bartow Avenue and Co-op City Boulevard, killing Ramonita Colon, 72, as the official record counted one pedestrian death and three injuries.
What We Know
Ramonita Colon, 72, was sitting on a bench near Bartow Avenue and Co-op City Boulevard on April 21, 2026, when police said a 55-year-old driver traveling north on Co-op City Boulevard lost control during a medical episode, mounted the sidewalk and hit the bench. The official crash record lists lost consciousness as a contributing factor and records one pedestrian death and three injuries. The Daily News reported that Colon was found dead at the scene and that medics took the driver and an injured 32-year-old man to Jacobi Medical Center, where both were expected to survive.
Official Crash Data
Collision ID
4893597
Date
April 21, 2026
Time
1:31 p.m.
Location
Co-Op City Blvd & Bartow Ave, Bronx
Borough
BRONX
Fatalities
1
Pedestrians killed
1
Vehicles listed
SUV, Station Wagon/Sport Utility Vehicle
Contributing factors listed
Lost Consciousness
Police said the driver mounted the sidewalk
The collision happened around 1:31 p.m. on April 21, 2026. Police told the Daily News that the driver of a 2018 Mazda CX-5 was heading north on Co-op City Boulevard when he lost control, mounted the sidewalk and hit the bench where Ramonita Colon and a 32-year-old man were sitting.
Ramonita Colon died at the scene
Colon, 72, was identified by police in the Daily News account. The official record lists the person killed as a 72-year-old female pedestrian at the intersection. The Daily News reported that Colon was found dead with severe injuries and had lived in Wakefield.
Investigators cited a medical episode
The official crash record lists lost consciousness as a contributing factor. The Daily News reported that investigators believed the driver suffered a medical episode at the time of the crash, while an NYPD spokesperson could not say specifically what caused him to lose control.
A fatal crash at a busy Co-op City corridor
The crash occurred at Co-op City Boulevard and Bartow Avenue in the Bronx. CrashCountNYC’s location context for Bartow Avenue records 290 crashes, 187 injuries, 15 serious injuries and one death from the start of 2022 through June 1, 2026.