MTA Bus Driver Hits Boom Lift; Worker Dies in Midtown
A city crash record says a 39-year-old pedestrian was killed at Fifth Avenue and East 51st Street on Jan. 26, 2025; police told Gothamist an MTA bus driver hit the base of a boom lift, causing worker Vladamir Cruz to fall.
What We Know
Vladamir Cruz, 39, of the South Bronx, was on a boom lift near Rockefeller Center at about 9:30 p.m. when a 44-year-old MTA bus driver traveling south on Fifth Avenue hit the base of the lift, according to Gothamist's account of police statements. Police said Cruz fell, suffered head and other injuries, and was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital. The city crash record places the fatal pedestrian crash at Fifth Avenue and East 51st Street and lists a bus and a boom lift involved. Gothamist reported that the driver stayed at the scene, no passengers were reported injured on the M1 bus, and no arrests had been made while the investigation continued.
A worker fell after the driver hit the lift base
The city record places the fatal crash at 9:34 p.m. on Jan. 26, 2025. Police told Gothamist that a 44-year-old MTA bus driver was heading south on Fifth Avenue when he hit the base of a boom lift that was protruding onto the roadway.
Police said Vladamir Cruz fell from the lift, suffered a head injury and other injuries, and was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The worker who died was identified as Vladamir Cruz
Police identified the man who died as Vladamir Cruz, 39, a resident of the South Bronx. The city crash record lists the person killed as a 39-year-old male pedestrian.
The M1 bus was in service
An MTA spokesperson told Gothamist that the driver was operating an M1 bus in service. No passengers were reported injured, and they were transferred to another bus.
The official record lists a 2021 New Flyer bus traveling south and going straight before impact, and a 2022 JLG boom lift that was parked.
Investigators described the lift as protruding onto the road
Police told Gothamist the boom lift was protruding onto the roadway when the bus driver hit its base. The city crash record separately listed pedestrian error or confusion as a contributing factor.
Gothamist reported that the driver stayed at the scene and that no arrests had been made while the investigation continued.
Fifth Avenue has a long crash record
The crash was recorded at Fifth Avenue and East 51st Street in Midtown, near Rockefeller Center.
CrashCountNYC's street-level context for Fifth Avenue in Manhattan shows 1,750 crashes, 971 injuries, 74 serious injuries and 5 deaths since 2022.