Harlem Bleeds While Leaders Stand Silent
AD 70: Jan 1, 2022 - Jun 4, 2025
The Toll in Harlem and Manhattanville
A three-year-old struck dead crossing with the signal at Lenox and 135th. Her mother, hit beside her, survived with wounds. A 66-year-old man, walking on 5th Avenue, died where he fell. A cyclist, 59, crushed by a bus on Lenox. In three years, eight people killed on these streets. Thirty-seven left with serious injuries. Nearly 1,800 hurt. The numbers do not bleed, but the families do. See the data.
SUVs and cars are the main weapons. They killed three. They seriously injured four more. Trucks and buses, motorcycles, mopeds, bikes—all played their part. No one is safe. Not the old, not the young. Not the ones on foot, not the ones on wheels.
Leadership: Words or Silence
Assembly Member Jordan Wright holds the seat for AD 70. In the record, there is no sign of a fight for lower speeds, more cameras, or safer crossings. No bill, no vote, no public stand. Silence is a choice.
The city has the power to lower speed limits. The state can renew the law that keeps speed cameras running. Both are stalled. Each day of delay is another day of risk. The dead do not get a second chance.
What Comes Next
This is not fate. These deaths are not the weather. They are the result of policy, of action or inaction. The tools exist: lower the speed, keep the cameras on, redesign the crossings. But tools unused are as useless as none at all.
Call Jordan Wright. Call the council. Call the mayor. Demand a 20 mph speed limit. Demand cameras that never sleep. Demand streets that do not kill. Take action now.
If you wait, the street will not.
Citations
▸ Citations
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4627295, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-04
▸ Other Geographies
AD 70 Assembly District 70 sits in Manhattan, Precinct 32, District 9.
It contains Manhattanville-West Harlem, Harlem (South), Manhattan CB10.
▸ See also
Traffic Safety Timeline for Assembly District 70
Multi-Wheeled Vehicle Strikes Woman on Saint Nicholas▸A heavy vehicle hit a 56-year-old woman crossing Saint Nicholas Avenue. Steel met flesh. Her head split. Blood pooled on the street. She stayed conscious, pain sharp, beneath the machine that did not stop. Aggression and failure to yield ruled the road.
A 56-year-old woman was struck by a northbound multi-wheeled vehicle while crossing Saint Nicholas Avenue near 60th in Manhattan. According to the police report, 'A northbound multi-wheeled vehicle struck her. Her head split. She lay conscious, bleeding on the pavement, beneath the steel that did not stop.' The report lists 'Failure to Yield Right-of-Way' and 'Aggressive Driving/Road Rage' as contributing factors. The woman suffered severe head lacerations but remained conscious at the scene. The crash highlights the danger posed by large vehicles and driver aggression. No injuries were reported for vehicle occupants.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4512235,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-15
SUV Strikes Woman on Harlem River Drive▸A Ford SUV hit a 32-year-old woman on Harlem River Drive. The left front bumper crushed her. She died on the pavement, far from any intersection. The crash left her alone beneath a gray sky. The driver stayed at the scene.
A Ford SUV traveling north on Harlem River Drive struck a 32-year-old woman who was not at an intersection. According to the police report, 'the left front bumper crushed her body. She died there on the pavement, alone beneath a gray sky.' The impact killed the pedestrian instantly. The police report lists 'Pedestrian/Bicyclist/Other Pedestrian Error/Confusion' as a contributing factor. The SUV’s left front bumper was damaged. No injuries were reported for the driver or other occupants. The report does not cite any driver-specific errors or mention helmet or signal use. The woman’s death adds to the toll of vulnerable road users on city streets.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4509803,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-15
BMW Rear-Ends Box Truck on Slick Harlem River Drive▸BMW hit a box truck from behind. Metal ripped. Blood spilled on the Harlem River Drive. A young man clutched his arm, leaking red. Another passenger groaned in pain. The road was slick. The crash left bodies hurt and shaken.
A BMW sedan slammed into the rear of a box truck on Harlem River Drive. According to the police report, 'A BMW slammed into the rear of a box truck on slick pavement. Metal tore. A 28-year-old man bled from the arm, awake, strapped in by a lap belt. His hand would not stop leaking red.' The crash injured the 28-year-old BMW driver, who suffered severe bleeding from his arm, and a 32-year-old rear passenger, who complained of pain. The box truck driver and another BMW passenger were not reported injured. The police listed 'Pavement Slippery' as a contributing factor. No other driver errors were cited in the report.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4498754,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-15
A heavy vehicle hit a 56-year-old woman crossing Saint Nicholas Avenue. Steel met flesh. Her head split. Blood pooled on the street. She stayed conscious, pain sharp, beneath the machine that did not stop. Aggression and failure to yield ruled the road.
A 56-year-old woman was struck by a northbound multi-wheeled vehicle while crossing Saint Nicholas Avenue near 60th in Manhattan. According to the police report, 'A northbound multi-wheeled vehicle struck her. Her head split. She lay conscious, bleeding on the pavement, beneath the steel that did not stop.' The report lists 'Failure to Yield Right-of-Way' and 'Aggressive Driving/Road Rage' as contributing factors. The woman suffered severe head lacerations but remained conscious at the scene. The crash highlights the danger posed by large vehicles and driver aggression. No injuries were reported for vehicle occupants.
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4512235, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-15
SUV Strikes Woman on Harlem River Drive▸A Ford SUV hit a 32-year-old woman on Harlem River Drive. The left front bumper crushed her. She died on the pavement, far from any intersection. The crash left her alone beneath a gray sky. The driver stayed at the scene.
A Ford SUV traveling north on Harlem River Drive struck a 32-year-old woman who was not at an intersection. According to the police report, 'the left front bumper crushed her body. She died there on the pavement, alone beneath a gray sky.' The impact killed the pedestrian instantly. The police report lists 'Pedestrian/Bicyclist/Other Pedestrian Error/Confusion' as a contributing factor. The SUV’s left front bumper was damaged. No injuries were reported for the driver or other occupants. The report does not cite any driver-specific errors or mention helmet or signal use. The woman’s death adds to the toll of vulnerable road users on city streets.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4509803,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-15
BMW Rear-Ends Box Truck on Slick Harlem River Drive▸BMW hit a box truck from behind. Metal ripped. Blood spilled on the Harlem River Drive. A young man clutched his arm, leaking red. Another passenger groaned in pain. The road was slick. The crash left bodies hurt and shaken.
A BMW sedan slammed into the rear of a box truck on Harlem River Drive. According to the police report, 'A BMW slammed into the rear of a box truck on slick pavement. Metal tore. A 28-year-old man bled from the arm, awake, strapped in by a lap belt. His hand would not stop leaking red.' The crash injured the 28-year-old BMW driver, who suffered severe bleeding from his arm, and a 32-year-old rear passenger, who complained of pain. The box truck driver and another BMW passenger were not reported injured. The police listed 'Pavement Slippery' as a contributing factor. No other driver errors were cited in the report.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4498754,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-15
A Ford SUV hit a 32-year-old woman on Harlem River Drive. The left front bumper crushed her. She died on the pavement, far from any intersection. The crash left her alone beneath a gray sky. The driver stayed at the scene.
A Ford SUV traveling north on Harlem River Drive struck a 32-year-old woman who was not at an intersection. According to the police report, 'the left front bumper crushed her body. She died there on the pavement, alone beneath a gray sky.' The impact killed the pedestrian instantly. The police report lists 'Pedestrian/Bicyclist/Other Pedestrian Error/Confusion' as a contributing factor. The SUV’s left front bumper was damaged. No injuries were reported for the driver or other occupants. The report does not cite any driver-specific errors or mention helmet or signal use. The woman’s death adds to the toll of vulnerable road users on city streets.
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4509803, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-15
BMW Rear-Ends Box Truck on Slick Harlem River Drive▸BMW hit a box truck from behind. Metal ripped. Blood spilled on the Harlem River Drive. A young man clutched his arm, leaking red. Another passenger groaned in pain. The road was slick. The crash left bodies hurt and shaken.
A BMW sedan slammed into the rear of a box truck on Harlem River Drive. According to the police report, 'A BMW slammed into the rear of a box truck on slick pavement. Metal tore. A 28-year-old man bled from the arm, awake, strapped in by a lap belt. His hand would not stop leaking red.' The crash injured the 28-year-old BMW driver, who suffered severe bleeding from his arm, and a 32-year-old rear passenger, who complained of pain. The box truck driver and another BMW passenger were not reported injured. The police listed 'Pavement Slippery' as a contributing factor. No other driver errors were cited in the report.
-
Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4498754,
NYC Open Data,
Accessed 2025-06-15
BMW hit a box truck from behind. Metal ripped. Blood spilled on the Harlem River Drive. A young man clutched his arm, leaking red. Another passenger groaned in pain. The road was slick. The crash left bodies hurt and shaken.
A BMW sedan slammed into the rear of a box truck on Harlem River Drive. According to the police report, 'A BMW slammed into the rear of a box truck on slick pavement. Metal tore. A 28-year-old man bled from the arm, awake, strapped in by a lap belt. His hand would not stop leaking red.' The crash injured the 28-year-old BMW driver, who suffered severe bleeding from his arm, and a 32-year-old rear passenger, who complained of pain. The box truck driver and another BMW passenger were not reported injured. The police listed 'Pavement Slippery' as a contributing factor. No other driver errors were cited in the report.
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4498754, NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-15