Nights are deadly. Corners blind. The clock keeps ticking.

Jul 6 - A Mercedes hit a box truck head-on at Lefferts Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue. The front of the car folded. A 36-year-old man in the passenger seat died, belted in place. The night was silent. Metal and glass marked the spot.

A deadly crash unfolded at Lefferts Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue in Queens. According to the police report, a Mercedes sedan struck a box truck headfirst. The sedan’s front end crumpled. A 36-year-old man, riding as a front passenger and wearing a seatbelt, was killed. The report states, 'A Mercedes slammed headfirst into a box truck. The front crumpled like paper. In the passenger seat, a 36-year-old man died, belted and still.' Both vehicles were traveling straight. The data lists the contributing factors as 'Unspecified.' No driver errors are detailed in the report. The victim’s use of a lap belt and harness is noted, but the cause remains unclear in the official record.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4643448 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-09-18

Feb 20 - A speeding SUV slammed a parked sedan in Queens. A man, 28, clung outside. He flew. Hit the ground. Unconscious. Cut. Broken. Teens inside bled and bruised. The driver had no license. The street fell silent.

A violent crash unfolded on Lefferts Boulevard near 103rd Avenue in Queens. According to the police report, an unlicensed driver sped north in a 2006 SUV and struck a parked sedan. A 28-year-old man, riding on the outside of the SUV, was ejected and landed unconscious with severe lacerations and broken bones. Two 15-year-old boys and a 17-year-old boy inside the SUV suffered head and facial injuries. The report lists 'Unsafe Speed' and 'Unsafe Lane Changing' as contributing factors. The driver was unlicensed. Several occupants used no safety equipment, but this is noted only after the driver’s errors. The crash left the street scarred and still.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4607441 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-09-18

Oct 29 - A motorcycle and SUV slammed head-on on Liberty Avenue. The rider, 49, flew from his bike. He wore a helmet. His body broke. Paralysis followed. The night swallowed the noise. Wreckage and silence remained.

A motorcycle and a sport utility vehicle collided head-on on Liberty Avenue near 114th Street in Queens. The 49-year-old motorcycle rider was ejected and suffered paralysis, with injuries to his entire body. According to the police report, both vehicles were traveling straight when they struck each other. The report lists 'Driver Inexperience' as a contributing factor. The rider was wearing a helmet, as noted in the data. No other serious injuries were reported among the occupants. The crash left the scene shattered and quiet, with the consequences of inexperience clear in the aftermath.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4577472 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-09-18

Oct 21 - Police arrested Ibrahim Chaaban in Bay Ridge after he did donuts on Shore Road. His car had racked up 12 school-zone speeding tickets since June. Council Member Brannan and DA Katz slammed weak penalties. Most reckless drivers still face little consequence. Streets remain dangerous.

On October 21, 2022, police in Bay Ridge arrested Ibrahim Chaaban for reckless driving after he performed donuts on Shore Road. The car had received at least 12 school-zone speeding tickets since June 21, but authorities failed to intervene until this incident. Council Member Justin Brannan reported the arrest, saying, "It seems the various systems currently in place to deter this type of behavior have failed here." Brannan and Queens DA Melinda Katz both criticized the current penalties, calling them too weak to deter dangerous drivers. Katz said, "There is a strong need for tougher penalties for those who choose to use our city streets as raceways." The article notes that only after 15 camera-issued speeding tickets in a year must drivers take a safety course, and few cars are seized under the Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program. Community complaints led to the arrest, but most reckless drivers still evade real consequences.

• One Down, Thousands to Go: Cops Bust A Really Bad Driver For Doing Less-Dangerous Stupid Thing, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2022-10-21

Sep 24 - A woman lay dying on 120th Street. Blood pooled on the asphalt. Her head struck. A man, broken back, survived. Two parked SUVs gashed and empty. No driver found. Sirens cut the silence. The street held only wreckage and loss.

A 31-year-old woman was killed and a 40-year-old man suffered a fractured back on 120th Street near 97th Avenue in Queens. According to the police report, the woman lay dying in the road with a severe head injury and bleeding, while the man was conscious but injured. Two parked SUVs were found with heavy damage to their left sides. No driver was present at the scene. The report lists all contributing factors as 'Unspecified.' There is no mention of helmet use or signaling as a factor. The crash left the street scarred and silent, with only the injured and the dead.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4567693 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-09-18

Sep 10 - A pickup’s door swung open on Jamaica Avenue. An e-bike rider hit it head-on. He flew hard, head cracked, blood on the street. The bike’s frame bent. The truck’s door twisted. Driver inattention marked the moment. The city’s danger showed its teeth.

A 32-year-old man riding an e-bike was injured after colliding with the open door of a parked pickup truck near 118-14 Jamaica Avenue in Queens. According to the police report, the e-bike rider struck the truck’s left-side door, was ejected, and suffered a severe head injury with heavy bleeding. The report lists 'Driver Inattention/Distraction' as a contributing factor. The e-bike rider was not wearing a helmet, as noted in the data, but this is mentioned only after the driver error. The pickup truck was parked at the time. The crash left the bike’s front end folded and the truck’s door bent. No other injuries were reported.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4563282 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-09-18

Sep 10 - A Yamaha motorcycle slammed into a turning Subaru at Atlantic Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard. The rider, 31, flew from the bike. He wore a helmet. He did not have a license. He died at the scene. The sedan driver survived.

A deadly crash unfolded at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard in Queens. According to the police report, a Yamaha motorcycle struck a Subaru sedan making a left turn. The 31-year-old male motorcyclist was ejected from his bike and killed. He was wearing a helmet but did not have a license. The sedan’s driver, a 30-year-old woman, survived. The police report lists 'Driver Inexperience' as a contributing factor. The impact was severe, with the motorcycle hitting the sedan’s left front bumper. No pedestrians were involved. The crash highlights the lethal consequences of driver inexperience and the dangers at busy intersections.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4562615 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-09-18

Aug 6 - A Ford pickup struck a parked box truck and a Nissan on 101st Avenue. Metal crumpled. A 26-year-old woman in the back seat bled from the head. She stayed conscious. Driver inattention cut through the morning quiet. Pain and blood marked the scene.

A Ford pickup traveling east on 101st Avenue near 111th Street crashed into a parked box truck and a Nissan sedan. According to the police report, the driver had looked away before impact. The collision left a 26-year-old woman in the back seat with severe head bleeding; she was conscious at the scene. Two drivers, aged 34 and 40, suffered injuries to the body and arm. Multiple other occupants reported pain or unspecified injuries. The police report lists 'Driver Inattention/Distraction' as the contributing factor. The force of the crash tore through metal and flesh, leaving pain and blood behind. All injured parties wore lap belts and harnesses, as noted in the report.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4552877 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-09-18

Jul 11 - A Nissan sedan, moving too fast, struck a man crossing Jamaica Avenue. The car hit head-on. The man’s leg split open. Blood pooled on the street. The driver had no license. The night held its breath.

A 29-year-old man was crossing near 117-13 Jamaica Avenue in Queens when a Nissan sedan struck him head-on. According to the police report, the driver was unlicensed and traveling at unsafe speed. The impact caused severe lacerations to the pedestrian’s lower leg, leaving him conscious but bleeding on the pavement. The report lists 'Unsafe Speed' and 'Passing or Lane Usage Improper' as contributing factors. The sedan’s center front end took the brunt of the crash. No injuries were reported for the occupants inside the vehicle. The system failed the man on the street. The driver’s lack of license and reckless speed turned a crossing into a scene of violence.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4545750 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-09-18

Jul 4 - A Chrysler sedan tore down 121st Street. It flipped, smashed parked cars, struck a stopped Jeep. The driver died. A pedestrian and several others were hurt. Speed and distraction ruled the night. The street fell silent after the crash.

A violent crash on 121st Street in Queens left one man dead and several people injured. According to the police report, a Chrysler sedan traveling at unsafe speed flipped, hit parked cars, and struck a stopped Jeep. The 27-year-old driver died from head injuries. A 20-year-old pedestrian suffered hip and leg injuries. Other occupants and passengers, including a 24-year-old woman and a 55-year-old woman, were also hurt. The police report lists 'Unsafe Speed' and 'Driver Inattention/Distraction' as contributing factors. No mention of helmet use or turn signals appears in the report. The crash shows the deadly consequences when speed and distraction take over city streets.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4544296 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-09-18

Feb 26 - A speeding Infiniti tore down 101st Avenue. It struck a parked Honda. The unlicensed driver died. Two young passengers bled and groaned in the wreck. Metal twisted. Blood pooled. The street stayed silent.

A deadly crash unfolded on 101st Avenue near 115th Street in Queens. According to the police report, a speeding Infiniti sedan slammed into a parked Honda. The unlicensed 24-year-old driver died from a crushed pelvis. Two passengers, both 23, suffered injuries—one with severe arm lacerations, the other with leg pain. The police report lists 'Unsafe Speed' and 'Passing or Lane Usage Improper' as contributing factors. The parked Honda was unoccupied. No pedestrians or cyclists were involved. The night ended with twisted metal and silence on the street.

• Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4506087 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-09-18

Feb 15 - Police finally charged Christian Soriano for killing Darwin Durazno, a teen cyclist, in College Point. Soriano, unlicensed, fled after swerving into oncoming traffic and striking Durazno. The arrest came months later. Most hit-and-run drivers in New York escape justice.

On February 9, 2022, NYPD arrested Christian Soriano, 27, for the June 4, 2021 hit-and-run crash that killed 16-year-old cyclist Darwin Durazno in College Point, Queens. Soriano faces manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and leaving the scene charges. The crash happened when Soriano, driving a Toyota Camry, swerved into oncoming traffic and struck Durazno, who later died from severe head trauma. The car, a rental, was found nearby. Witnesses described Soriano as he fled on foot. Despite these leads, it took eight months to make an arrest. The matter highlights systemic failure: in 2020, NYPD made arrests in only 0.8 percent of hit-and-run cases involving injuries or property damage. Even in serious injury cases, arrests are rare. Vulnerable road users remain at risk while most drivers evade consequences.

• Cops Charge Hit-and-Run Driver Who Killed Queens Cyclist Last Year, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2022-02-15

Jan 13 - A speeding Mercedes driver killed a delivery man in Queens. The DA declined charges. In deposition, the driver showed little remorse. She blamed her car, denied fault, and dodged questions. The victim’s family pursues civil justice. Systemic failures shield deadly drivers.

On April 29, 2021, Maro Andrianou, driving a Mercedes-Benz, struck and killed delivery worker Xing Long Lin on 35th Street near Ditmars Boulevard in Queens. The case never reached criminal court. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz declined to prosecute, citing Andrianou’s claim that her car accelerated uncontrollably after a minor rear tap. Video evidence contradicted this, showing only a light bump. In a December 8, 2021, deposition for a civil suit, Andrianou showed little remorse, blaming her car and denying responsibility. Attorneys for Lin’s family called her defense 'fabricated.' Katz’s decision left the victim’s family with only civil recourse. The case underscores how drivers who kill often escape criminal accountability, leaving vulnerable road users at risk.

• Driver Who Killed Delivery Man Offered Little Remorse, Few Answers During Deposition, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2022-01-13