Driver faces manslaughter charge in fatal BQE collision.
Destiny Mendez, 29, fatally struck Chasna Thelemaque, a 37-year-old Brooklyn property manager, on the westbound BQE near the Brooklyn Bridge, according to police accounts and the Daily News.
Reported by press, not yet linked to NYC police crash records. This may change when new official records become available or when matching details are reviewed.
Location under review.
What We Know
Police said Destiny Mendez, driving a Hyundai Elantra, fatally struck Chasna Thelemaque, 37, after she fell from a moving Toyota near Exit 28 on the westbound BQE. Gothamist's updated report identified the Toyota as a RAV4 and said police had initially misidentified it as a Highlander. Mendez later pleaded not guilty, the Daily News reported.
A passenger fell onto the expressway.
Police told News 12 that Thelemaque was seated in the rear of a Toyota RAV4 when she opened the door and fell onto the expressway, tumbling into the right lane. Mendez, driving a Hyundai Elantra westbound, then struck her. EMS pronounced Thelemaque dead at the scene.
A 33-year-old man was driving the Toyota. Police said both drivers remained at the scene and the two cars did not make contact. Investigators had not established why Thelemaque opened the door.
Near Exit 28 and the Brooklyn Bridge.
Gothamist placed the incident on the westbound Brooklyn-Queens Expressway approaching Exit 28 near the Brooklyn Bridge, at around 2:30 a.m. FOX 5 reported that officers responded to a 911 call around 2:26 a.m.
The November 8, 2026, incident date is inferred from Gothamist's publication date and its description of early Sunday morning.
A lifelong friend remembers her plans.
Thelemaque worked as a property manager, the Daily News reported. Her lifelong friend Arceline Blanks was seated beside her as they returned home from a friend's birthday party in an Uber.
Blanks said they grew up in the same Midwood building and shared trips, meals and confidences. Recalling Thelemaque's hopes for travel and a family, she said, "She always had all these plans." Thelemaque's mother and five siblings were left mourning her.
Police corrected their initial descriptions.
FOX 5's preliminary report described the Toyota as a Highlander and the Hyundai driver as a 29-year-old man. Gothamist's updated report identified a Toyota RAV4 and Destiny Mendez, saying an earlier NYPD statement had misidentified the Toyota model and the Hyundai driver's gender.
Mendez pleaded not guilty.
Police charged Mendez with vehicular manslaughter, vehicular assault, driving while intoxicated and driving while ability impaired. The Daily News reported that the criminal complaint recorded her blood alcohol level as .072.
Mendez pleaded not guilty and was released without bail at her Monday-night arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court, according to the Daily News.