Who’s Injuring and Killing Pedestrians in District 29?
No More Victims: Streets for People, Not for Pain
District 29: Jan 1, 2022 - Jun 19, 2025
The Toll: Lives Broken, Streets Unforgiving
No one died on District 29’s streets in the last year. But the silence is not peace. In twelve months, 670 people were hurt, seven left with injuries so grave they may never walk the same. Children, elders, workers—no one is spared. A man in his fifties lies in a hospital bed, struck down by a black SUV that kept going, leaving him unresponsive on the road. Police say the driver never stopped according to ABC7. The city calls these numbers progress. For the families, it is a wound that does not close.
Leadership: Steps Forward, Steps Back
Council Member Lynn Schulman has signed her name to bills that matter. She voted to legalize crossing the street outside the lines, ending the old blame game against walkers on the NYC Council Legistar. She backed the SAFE Streets Act, pushing Albany to let the city set lower speed limits and give crash victims more rights through the same legislative platform. She called out delivery apps, saying, “Right now, delivery workers are essentially incentivized for speed… This often results in driving recklessly, often putting the lives of pedestrians at risk” as reported by Gothamist.
But not every vote protects the most vulnerable. Schulman co-sponsored a helmet mandate for cyclists and a bill to restrict scooter-share, moves that shift the burden to those outside the car and threaten to cut off safe, affordable ways to move according to Streetsblog NYC.
The Road Ahead: What Residents Must Demand
The violence is not fate. It is policy, speed, and the weight of inaction. The city now has the power to lower speed limits. It has the tools to redesign streets and keep cameras running. But power unused is as deadly as a car left in gear. Call your council member. Demand a 20 mph speed limit. Demand protected bike lanes. Demand that every bill put people first, not cars.
Do not wait for the next siren.
Citations
▸ Citations
- Hit-and-Run Leaves Pedestrian Critical in Queens, ABC7, Published 2025-06-18
- Hit-and-Run Leaves Pedestrian Critical in Queens, ABC7, Published 2025-06-18
- File Int 0346-2024, NYC Council – Legistar, Published 2024-09-26
- Delivery apps in NYC could be held responsible for workers following traffic laws, gothamist.com, Published 2024-06-21
- Queens Pols Have Lots of Claims About the Evils of Scooter-Share, But Few Facts, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2024-09-17
- Motor Vehicle Collisions – CrashID 4562615 - Crashes, Persons, Vehicles , NYC Open Data, Accessed 2025-06-19
- Queens Driver Sentenced For Deadly Hate Attack, NY Daily News, Published 2025-06-18
- Queens Split Over New Bike Lane, CBS New York, Published 2025-06-18
- Queens Panel Wants a ‘Pedestrian-First’ Austin Street — And a Possible Car Ban, Streetsblog NYC, Published 2023-03-07
- Amazon Truck Hits Parked Car, Flees, ABC7, Published 2025-05-20
- Car Jumps Curb, Injures Nine In Queens, ABC7, Published 2025-04-04
Fix the Problem
District 29
71-19 80th Street, Suite 8-303, Glendale, NY 11385
718-544-8800
250 Broadway, Suite 1840, New York, NY 10007
212-788-6981
Other Representatives
District 24
185-06 Union Turnpike, Fresh Meadows, NY 11366
Room 716, Legislative Office Building, Albany, NY 12248
District 14
113-43 Farmers Blvd., St. Albans, NY 11412
Room 913, Legislative Office Building, Albany, NY 12247
▸ Other Geographies
District 29 Council District 29 sits in Queens, Precinct 102, AD 24, SD 14.
It contains Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill, South Richmond Hill, Ozone Park (North), Queens CB9, Queens CB6.
▸ See also
Traffic Safety Timeline for Council District 29
Melinda R Katz Supports Hit-and-Run Enforcement Opposes NYPD Ineffectiveness▸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
Melinda R Katz Opposes DA Decision Shielding Deadly Drivers▸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
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
Melinda R Katz Opposes DA Decision Shielding Deadly Drivers▸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
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