BMW driver killed cyclist Mamadou Diallo in Flatlands hit-run
Police told reporters a BMW driver hit Mamadou Diallo, 40, at East 54th Street and Avenue I just before midnight, and a friend said the delivery worker was minutes from the end of his shift.
Reported by press, not yet linked to NYC police crash records. This may change when new official records become available or when matching details are reviewed.
Location under review
What We Know
Mamadou Diallo, 40, of Canarsie, was riding in Flatlands late Thursday when a BMW driver hit him at East 54th Street and Avenue I and left the scene, according to police accounts reported by local outlets. Reporters described him as a delivery worker; a friend told the Daily News the crash happened minutes before the end of his shift and remembered him as a hard worker who helped others. Accounts agree the driver did not remain and police were still searching afterward. They differ on the turning movement: Streetsblog and the Daily News reported Diallo was turning onto East 54th Street as an eastbound BMW driver hit him, while Gothamist reported police said the BMW driver turned left as the two traveled in opposite directions on Avenue I.
A late-night hit-and-run in Flatlands
Police accounts reported by Streetsblog, the Daily News and News12 said a BMW driver hit Mamadou Diallo, 40, at East 54th Street and Avenue I shortly before midnight Thursday. Reporters said EMS took Diallo to Brookdale University Hospital, where he died.
The reports agree the BMW driver did not remain at the scene. They differ on the turning movement: Streetsblog and the Daily News reported Diallo was turning onto East 54th Street as an eastbound BMW driver hit him, while Gothamist reported police said the BMW driver turned left as the two traveled in opposite directions on Avenue I.
A delivery worker remembered by a friend
The Daily News identified Diallo as a Brooklyn deliverista and quoted his friend Abdoulaye Barry saying the crash happened minutes before the end of Diallo's shift. Barry said, “He’s a hard worker,” and added, “He was always willing to help everybody. Anytime you need help, he was always there for you.”
Barry told the Daily News that he and Diallo immigrated to the United States from Guinea about three years earlier and lived together in Canarsie. He said Diallo used delivery income to support parents and relatives in West Africa.
Police were seeking the BMW driver
Descriptions of the BMW varied across reports: the Daily News and News12 described a dark-colored BMW, while Gothamist described a gray BMW. Police had not located the driver as of the Friday reports.
News12 reported that police said the impact sent Diallo into a parked, unoccupied car. The Daily News identified that parked vehicle as a Honda CR-V.
The crash happened at East 54th Street and Avenue I
Reporters placed the crash at East 54th Street and Avenue I in Flatlands, Brooklyn. Streetsblog and the Daily News reported it happened at about 11:49 to 11:50 p.m. Thursday.
Diallo was described in multiple reports as a Canarsie resident, and News12 later quoted Barry saying Diallo was about a mile from home when the driver hit him.
The death came during a deadly week for cyclists
Streetsblog, Gothamist and News12 reported that Diallo was the third cyclist killed in an alleged hit-and-run in New York City within three days.
Transportation Alternatives announced a City Hall Park die-in after the three deaths. News12 quoted Executive Director Ben Furnas saying, “Three hard-working New Yorkers are dead, and three families are heartbroken with grief. It doesn't have to be this way.”