Driver Charged With Murder After Two Killed at Bowery and Canal
Prosecutors charged driver Autumn Romero with murder after a July 19 crash that the official record links to unsafe speed killed a 55-year-old bicyclist and a 63-year-old pedestrian at Manhattan Bridge and Bowery.
What We Know
On Saturday morning, July 19, the crash record logged two deaths and one injury at Manhattan Bridge and Bowery and listed unsafe speed as a contributing factor. Police and prosecutors later identified the people killed as Kevin Cruickshank, 55, who was riding a bike, and May Kwok, 63, who was sitting on a bench near Canal Street and Bowery. Prosecutors said Autumn Romero drove a blue Chevrolet Malibu westbound off the Manhattan Bridge at high speed before the collision, and police charged her with murder, manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide, leaving the scene and weapon-related counts. Her passenger, Kennedy Lecraft, faced weapon, stolen-property and unauthorized-use charges connected to the overdue rental and guns prosecutors said police found in the trunk. Both women later pleaded not guilty. The deaths intensified demands for safety changes at the Manhattan Bridge approach to
A Saturday morning crash at the bridge exit
The city crash record places the collision at Manhattan Bridge and Bowery at 7:26 a.m. on July 19, 2025. It records two people killed, a 63-year-old female pedestrian and a 55-year-old male bicyclist, and one motorist injured.
Police and prosecutors identified the people killed as Kevin Cruickshank, who was riding a bike, and May Kwok, who was sitting on a bench near Canal Street and Bowery. Prosecutors said Autumn Romero drove westbound off the Manhattan Bridge at a high rate of speed before the collision.
Kevin Cruickshank and May Kwok were identified as the victims
Kevin Cruickshank, 55, was identified by police as a Manhattan resident who was riding a bike. Family representatives described him as a warm neighborhood presence, a supporter of Transportation Alternatives, and someone who loved long bike rides.
May Kwok, 63, was identified by police as a Brooklyn resident who was sitting on a bench. The Daily News reported that her brother said she was out for a walk in a neighborhood she loved to visit, while the Post reported that he described her as a free spirit.
Records and reports describe a sedan, a bike and a parked NYPD vehicle
The crash record lists a 2024 Chevrolet sedan traveling west, a bike traveling east, and a parked Chevrolet SUV. The record lists unsafe speed for the sedan and says the sedan driver was unlicensed.
Press accounts described the sedan as a blue Chevrolet Malibu and said the driver hit an unoccupied NYPD auxiliary van after Kevin Cruickshank and May Kwok were hit. Prosecutors said Kennedy Lecraft had rented the Malibu from Enterprise and failed to return it by June 29.
Speed was central, while the defense disputed the sequence
The crash record lists unsafe speed as a contributing factor. Mayor Eric Adams cited speed soon after the crash, and later accounts attributed to authorities alleged that Romero was driving more than 100 mph before the collision.
Prosecutors said police found an open tequila bottle and a travel cup containing liquid with a strong odor of alcohol in the passenger area. Romero's lawyer told Gothamist that a defense investigator and reconstruction expert would argue the passenger grabbed the wheel; the passenger's attorney declined to comment on that account.
Romero and Lecraft faced criminal cases
Police charged Autumn Romero with murder, manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide, leaving the scene and other offenses. A judge ordered her held after arraignment, and the Daily News later reported that she pleaded not guilty in Manhattan Supreme Court.
The Manhattan Bridge approach put Canal Street back under scrutiny
The crash happened near the Manhattan Bridge's Canal Street terminus, where drivers coming off the bridge enter a busy Chinatown corridor. Streetsblog reported that advocates had long criticized the bridge approach as highway-like and dangerous for people walking and biking.
After the deaths, transportation officials said they would add physical barriers near Bowery and Canal Street, start the process to lower the Manhattan Bridge approach speed limit from 35 mph to 20 mph, narrow some Manhattan-bound lanes, and accelerate community engagement on a Canal Street redesign.