Dump Truck Driver Left Scene After Fatal Midtown Crash
A dump truck driver struck a woman bicycling on West 34th Street on September 28, 2026, police said; later reporting identified her as delivery worker Jana Gwen Halterman, whom EMS pronounced dead at the scene.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
Police said a 36-year-old man driving a dump truck struck a woman bicycling on West 34th Street on September 28, 2026. The police statement recorded a response to a 911 call at about 10:51 a.m., not a confirmed crash time. EMS pronounced her dead at the scene, and later reporting identified her as delivery worker Jana Gwen Halterman. Reports differ on her age and the direction of travel. The driver left the scene and was later questioned; reports said no charges had been filed, and the investigation continued.
Reports differ on the crash sequence.
Reports placed the collision around 10:50 a.m. The NYPD statement published by West Side Spirit says officers responded to a 911 call at approximately 10:51 a.m.; that is not a confirmed crash time. EMS pronounced the cyclist dead at the scene.
Streetsblog and the Daily News reported that the driver and cyclist were traveling west. West Side Spirit's October 10 report attributed an eastbound account to police, saying the driver attempted to merge from the left lane into the right; the same report's photo caption described westbound travel. The accounts do not establish a consistent direction or maneuver.
Jana Gwen Halterman was a delivery rider.
West Side Spirit reported that police identified Jana Gwen Halterman on October 9 and described her as 50. Streetsblog's same-day report described the cyclist as 51, so published accounts differ on her age.
JOCO told CBS New York, "She had been a delivery rider for several years, and we were fortunate to have known her. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones."
Accounts place the crash on West 34th Street in Midtown.
The reports place the crash on West 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan but use different nearby landmarks. Streetsblog placed it near Macy's in Herald Square, across from Primark; West Side Spirit cited the vicinity of Seventh Avenue near Penn Station; and amNY described the stretch between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. The precise crash point is not established.
Charlie Baker of Transportation Alternatives told CBS New York that 34th Street lacked bike infrastructure and had been designated a Vision Zero priority corridor for a decade.
Reports describe a dump truck and a rental bicycle.
Streetsblog, CBS New York, and West Side Spirit's later report described the woman's bicycle as a JOCO e-bike. The police account quoted in West Side Spirit's initial report called it a bicycle, while amNY called it a "Jofo e-bike." The specific bicycle description is not consistent across reports.
Streetsblog reported that the dump truck belonged to Metropolitan Trucking Group, based in Morristown, New Jersey.
Police questioned the driver, but reports differ on his detention.
Streetsblog reported that police found the truck on West 35th Street near Fifth Avenue and interviewed the driver without charging him. It said he later left in the passenger seat when another company driver arrived to take the truck away.
The Daily News reported that the driver was taken into custody after police located him, with no charges immediately filed. West Side Spirit later reported that no arrest had been made by its October 10 publication and that the investigation continued.