Truck Driver Backs Over Man on Gulf Ave
A box‑truck driver reversed on Gulf Avenue at night and hit a 34‑year‑old man in the roadway. The man was crushed and killed under the truck. The driver’s vehicle showed no damage.
What We Know
Leony Salcedo-Chevalier, a 34-year-old pedestrian from New Jersey, was fatally injured late April 9 at 546 Gulf Ave. on Staten Island. Police told reporters that a 40-year-old driver was backing a box truck near the rear loading area of the JFK8 Amazon Fulfillment Center when he hit Salcedo-Chevalier. The official crash record lists one pedestrian killed, no other injuries, and a box truck backing before the crash. EMS took Salcedo-Chevalier to Richmond University Medical Center, where he died. Police sources said the driver stopped and remained at the scene, and articles reported that no criminal charges had been filed at the time.
A driver was backing near a warehouse loading area
The crash happened at about 10:58 p.m. on April 9 in the rear area of the Amazon warehouse at 546 Gulf Ave. Police told both outlets that a 40-year-old man operating a box truck was backing up when he hit Leony Salcedo-Chevalier, who was on foot near the loading dock.
The official record lists one pedestrian killed and no other people injured. It also lists the truck driver as backing before the crash.
The crash was reported at the JFK8 Amazon site on Gulf Avenue
Articles identified the location as the JFK8 Amazon Fulfillment Center on Gulf Avenue near Chelsea Avenue in Bulls Head, in the industrial western end of Staten Island. The official record places the fatal crash at 546 Gulf Ave.
Leony Salcedo-Chevalier died after being taken to the hospital
Police identified the pedestrian as Leony Salcedo-Chevalier, 34, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey. EMS took him to Richmond University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The Daily News reported that an Amazon warehouse associate wrote that Salcedo-Chevalier had gone in for his shift, had two daughters, and was killed on the job. Company officials told the Daily News that both Salcedo-Chevalier and the driver were workers for a freight company contracted with the warehouse, not Amazon employees; amNY similarly reported that law enforcement sources described both men as Amazon subcontractors.
Investigators recorded pedestrian error or confusion as a factor
The official crash record attributed a contributing factor to pedestrian error or confusion. News reports described the police account as preliminary and said the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad was reviewing the case.
The driver remained, and police had filed no charges
Police sources told amNY that the driver stopped and remained at the scene. Both articles reported that the driver had not been criminally charged at the time of publication.
Amazon spokeswoman Sharyn Ghacham told the Daily News, “This is a horrible tragedy, and our thoughts are with all those involved,” and said the company was supporting law enforcement as investigators reviewed the crash.