Driver arrested after fatal New Year's hit-and-run in East New York
At about 12:55 a.m. on New Year's Day, prosecutors said Anselm Okeke hit 68-year-old Elvin Sanchez at Linden Boulevard and Ashford Street and fled; the city record lists one pedestrian killed and failure to yield.
What We Know
Elvin Sanchez, 68, was crossing Linden Boulevard at Ashford Street in East New York shortly before 1 a.m. on New Year's Day when prosecutors said Anselm Okeke hit him and left. Police said Sanchez was crossing against the pedestrian signal. The city crash record lists one pedestrian killed, a sedan, and failure to yield by the driver. The Daily News reported that Okeke was arrested later that day and admitted he left because he got scared.
A New Year's crossing ended at Brookdale
The city crash record places the crash at Linden Boulevard and Ashford Street in Brooklyn at 12:55 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2026. It records one person killed: a 68-year-old male pedestrian at the intersection.
Streetsblog and the Daily News reported that Elvin Sanchez was taken to Brookdale after the driver left the scene. The Daily News reported that Sanchez died less than six hours later.
Linden Boulevard at Ashford Street
The crash happened at Linden Boulevard and Ashford Street in East New York, Brooklyn. The Daily News described Sanchez as trying to cross the wide boulevard when the driver hit him.
The people identified in the case
Elvin Sanchez
The Daily News identified the pedestrian as Elvin Sanchez, 68. Neighbors told the paper he had been grieving the recent death of his wife, had been visiting next-door residents daily, and was expected for dinner the night he was killed.
Anselm Okeke
The Daily News reported that police arrested 70-year-old Anselm Okeke later on New Year's Day. Prosecutors said he stopped without getting out, fled, and later told police he got scared after hitting Sanchez.
Signals, yielding, and attention appear in the record
Police told the Daily News and Streetsblog that Sanchez was crossing against the pedestrian signal. The city crash record lists failure to yield right-of-way as a contributing factor and also records driver inattention or distraction in the vehicle record.
The vehicle description and movement are not fully consistent
The city crash record lists a 2004 Mercury sedan. The Daily News described the car as a 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis with Pennsylvania plates.
The official vehicle entries differ on the driver's movement, with one entry listing a left turn and later entries listing travel straight ahead. The Daily News, citing prosecutors, reported that Okeke was traveling on Ashford Street when he hit Sanchez.
Police later reported an arrest
Streetsblog reported on Jan. 1 that the driver had fled and that the NYPD investigation was continuing. The Daily News later reported that police arrested Okeke that same day and that the criminal complaint said he admitted striking Sanchez and leaving.