Hit-and-run driver fatally injures pedestrian in Longwood
A driver in a 2008 Ford fatally hit 56-year-old pedestrian Alhadji Fofana at Westchester Avenue and East 163rd Street, then tried to set the stolen van on fire before fleeing on foot, police told the Post.
What We Know
According to the police report, a driver in a Ford SUV traveling north on Westchester Avenue hit a 56-year-old man who was crossing East 163rd Street in a marked crosswalk on a Wednesday morning. The pedestrian sustained crush injuries to his entire body and died at the scene. Police recorded the SUV as going straight ahead at the time of impact.
Fofana was crossing in Longwood before dawn
The crash happened at about 6:30 a.m. on September 25, 2024. The official record lists a 56-year-old male pedestrian killed at Westchester Avenue and East 163rd Street, and the Post identified him as Alhadji Fofana.
Westchester Avenue has a long crash record
The fatal crash was recorded at Westchester Avenue and East 163rd Street in the Bronx. News reports placed the scene in Longwood.
On Westchester Avenue in the Bronx, Crash Finder records 1,543 crashes, 1,023 injuries, 97 serious injuries and 7 deaths since 2022.
Records and reports describe the Ford differently
The official crash record lists a 2008 Ford station wagon or sport utility vehicle traveling north and going straight ahead, with right-front bumper impact and damage.
The Daily News described the driver as operating a van, and the Post said police described the Ford as a stolen van with stolen plates.
The driver fled before police made an arrest
Medics took Fofana to Lincoln Medical Center, where he died from his injuries, according to the Post. The Daily News also reported that medics rushed the victim to Lincoln Hospital and he could not be saved.
Police told the Post that the driver tried to set the Ford on fire, abandoned it and fled on foot. The driver had not been caught by Thursday afternoon, and police had no description immediately available.
The official factor does not close the investigation
The official record attributed a pedestrian factor of error or confusion. Separately, police accounts published by the Post focused on the driver leaving the scene after a crash involving a Ford that police described as stolen and bearing stolen plates.