Driver flees after fatal Sunset Park hit-and-run
After the Night Shift
A driver in a 2014 Cadillac fatally struck nurse Jiayi Zheng, 28, at Third Avenue and 55th Street in Sunset Park shortly after 7:30 a.m. and fled, police said; Gothamist reported Saturday, so Aug. 29, 2026, is inferred from its Aug. 30 publication.
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.
Approximate reported location.
What We Know
A driver in a Cadillac fatally struck nurse Jiayi Zheng, 28, as she crossed Third Avenue at 55th Street in Sunset Park, then fled. Reports differ on the Cadillac's subtype. Gothamist's Aug. 30 report says the crash happened Saturday, so Aug. 29, 2026, is inferred from its publication date. Medics took Zheng to the hospital where she worked, where she died.
Reports place the collision shortly after 7:30 a.m.
Gothamist reported that police said a driver struck Zheng as she crossed Third Avenue at 55th Street and fled. Reports put the time between just after 7:30 a.m. and about 7:40 a.m.; CBS New York reported about 7:35 a.m. Gothamist's Aug. 30 report said the crash happened Saturday morning, so Aug. 29, 2026, is inferred from that publication-relative account.
Accounts differ on Zheng's position and signal. The Daily News said surveillance footage showed her waiting for the light to change before entering the crosswalk, then halfway across when the driver hit her. ABC7 reported police said she had the right of way and had crossed the first of three crosswalks; FOX5 described her as within the marked crosswalk, waiting for her signal, when she was struck.
Reports also described the driver's response differently. The Daily News said footage showed the driver briefly tap the brakes before continuing south; News 12 said the Cadillac did not appear to slow as it continued down Third Avenue.
Medics took Zheng to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn with severe head and body trauma. She was pronounced dead at the hospital where she worked.
Colleagues remembered Zheng's compassion.
Zheng, 28, was a nurse in the medical-surgical unit at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn and had finished an overnight shift before the crash. News 12 reported hospital sources described her as "always positive and in a good mood."
The Federation of Nurses/UFT confirmed Zheng was a member. Vice President Anne Goldman said, "We grieve her loss and honor her memory by recognizing the kindness and compassion she brought to our work and our community."
Reports describe different Cadillac subtypes.
The Daily News identified the driver's vehicle as a Cadillac Escalade. CBS New York reported police described it as a 2014 Cadillac sedan, while News 12 referred to a Cadillac without a subtype. The reports do not resolve the difference.
The crash happened beneath the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
The collision occurred at Third Avenue and 55th Street in Sunset Park, beneath the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Transportation Alternatives said six pedestrians and five cyclists had been killed along the two-mile stretch since 2014.
Gothamist reported that the city presented a redesign plan for Third Avenue in 2023, but the project was put on hold under former Mayor Eric Adams.
Police were still searching for the driver.
CBS New York reported on Aug. 31 that police were still searching for the driver. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that no arrests had been made and the NYPD Highway District's Collision Investigation Squad was investigating.
After Zheng's death, State Sen. Andrew Gounardes urged the city to act on the redesign, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the administration would move it forward.