Driver Hits and Kills Pedestrian on Major Deegan
A 42-year-old Jeep driver hit and killed 30-year-old Douty Soumahoro on the Major Deegan Expressway; police accounts and city crash records differ on his movement.
What We Know
Douty Soumahoro, 30, of Norwood, was killed March 4, 2026, on the Major Deegan Expressway in Van Cortlandt Park. The city crash record places the crash at 1:33 p.m. and records one pedestrian death involving a southbound SUV. Police accounts cited by local news said a 42-year-old man was driving a 2011 white Jeep southbound in the left lane when he hit Soumahoro, and that the driver remained at the scene. The official record and police accounts differ on Soumahoro's movement: the city record describes him as walking or riding along the highway against traffic, while police told Norwood News he was crossing the expressway from west to east. EMS took Soumahoro to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police reported no arrests and said the investigation was continuing.
A pedestrian was killed on the expressway
The city crash record says the fatal crash happened on the Major Deegan Expressway at 1:33 p.m. on March 4, 2026, and records one pedestrian killed. Police accounts published by Norwood News said officers responded around 1:26 p.m. to a 911 call in the vicinity of the Major Deegan Expressway and Jerome Avenue.
Police identified the man who died
Police identified the pedestrian as Douty Soumahoro, 30, of Norwood in the Bronx. The official crash record lists the person killed as a 30-year-old male pedestrian.
Police told Norwood News that the driver was a 42-year-old man operating a 2011 white Jeep. Police said he remained at the scene, no arrests had been made, and the NYPD Highway District's Collision Investigation Squad was investigating.
The crash happened where a highway cuts through Van Cortlandt Park
Hoodline also reported that local groups had pushed for a pedestrian bridge in that area for years, but that the long-planned crossing was canceled amid cost concerns.
The driver was in a southbound Jeep
The official vehicle record lists a 2011 Jeep SUV traveling south, going straight ahead, with one occupant. Norwood News reported that police described the Jeep as white and traveling southbound in the left lane before the driver hit Soumahoro.
Records disagree on Soumahoro's movement before impact
The official person record describes Soumahoro as walking or riding along the highway against traffic and lists pedestrian error or confusion as a contributing factor. Police accounts published by Norwood News and Accident Injury News said he was crossing the expressway from west to east when the driver hit him.
Emergency responders took Soumahoro to the hospital
Police accounts said Soumahoro suffered severe trauma throughout his body. EMS took him to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Norwood News reported that the NYPD handles criminal aspects of collision investigations while the city Department of Transportation reviews street design at crash locations.