Bed-Stuy’s deadly loop: a woman dragged, a child lost, and nights that don’t end

AD 56: Jan 1, 2022 - Aug 26, 2025

Bed-Stuy doesn’t sleep. The crashes don’t either.

On May 24, 2025, just before midnight in Bedford‑Stuyvesant, a driver rear‑ended Tiffany Cifuni on Marcus Garvey and Van Buren. She got out. The other driver hit the gas, struck her, dragged her, and fled the wrong way. Tiffany died at the hospital. She was 32, and pregnant. Prosecutors later said the defendant “floored the gas, instantly striking Tiffany.” NY Daily News | New York Post | The Brooklyn Paper

Her husband’s words were plain: “I lost my whole family tonight.” NY Daily News

Across Assembly District 56, the toll grinds on. Since 2022, seven pedestrians are dead, two riders of other motorized devices are dead, and four vehicle occupants are dead. Injuries run into the thousands. NYC Open Data

Nights hit hardest

The bodies pile up after dark. Deaths spike around 2–4 AM and again near 6 PM and late night. Two deaths at 4 AM. Two more at 6 PM. Two at 11 PM. The pattern is steady. NYC Open Data

Broadway and Atlantic are the worst wounds. On Broadway, two deaths and 187 people hurt. On Atlantic, two more deaths and 159 hurt. These are not secrets. They are addresses. NYC Open Data

SUVs keep hitting people on foot. Six pedestrians dead from SUVs in this period, with scores more injured. Trucks and buses add their share. NYC Open Data

Atlantic keeps taking

On Aug 30, 2024, just before 7 AM at Broadway and Myrtle, a 63‑year‑old man was killed while crossing at the intersection. The listed vehicle was an SUV. NYC Open Data

On Nov 7, 2023, on Atlantic at Brooklyn Avenue, a crash killed a 4‑year‑old boy riding as a passenger. The driver was 16 and listed with a permit. Unsafe speed was noted. A family car became a coffin. NYC Open Data

These are not outliers. They are the map.

The corners we keep passing

Investigators list “other factors” again and again. Eleven deaths sit under that blank line. It tells you what it tells you: not much. But people are still dead. NYC Open Data

DOT pitched a protected bike lane on Bedford Avenue. Data showed protected lanes cut pedestrian injuries by 21%. The plan drew support and pushback. The lane was supposed to go in during 2023. Streetsblog

School speed cameras run 24/7 through 2030. Albany extended the law this June. That keeps a watch on the worst hours. It won’t bring anyone back. Open States: S 8344

Fix what we can touch

Start where the blood is: Broadway and Atlantic. Daylight every corner. Give leading pedestrian intervals. Harden the turns. Narrow the lanes. Protect the bike lane on Bedford, end to end. Put cameras on the approaches to both corridors and keep them hot at night. NYC Open Data | Streetsblog

Then take on the drivers who won’t stop. Albany has a bill that would force the worst repeat speeders—people with 11 DMV points in 18 months or 16 camera tickets in a year—to use speed limiters that keep cars within 5 MPH of the limit. It is called the Stop Super Speeders Act. Take Action

Finally, slow the whole city. Sammy’s Law lets New York lower the default to 20 MPH. Fewer families at funerals. Fewer names to learn. Take Action

Voices that don’t fade

“We just want to say that we’re happy today happened… we’re going to not rest until this is over and we get justice.” — Tiffany Cifuni’s husband, outside court. NY Daily News

“At that moment, the defendant floored the gas, instantly striking Tiffany, causing her body to become lodged beneath the vehicle.” — Assistant District Attorney Tara Kelly. New York Post

“The alleged driver of the Chevy Trax hit the gas and struck Cifuni from behind… The victim was dragged under the suspect’s car.” — police account reported by The Brooklyn Paper. The Brooklyn Paper

What now

The pattern is clear. The places are known. The hours are known. The names keep changing.

Lower speeds. Lock down repeat speeders. Fix the deadly blocks. Do it now. Take Action