Bay Ridge Bleeds: Speed Kills, City Sleeps

Precinct 68: Jan 1, 2022 - Jul 17, 2025

The Death Toll Grows, One Block at a Time

In Precinct 68, the numbers do not lie. Fifteen people killed. Fifteen seriously injured. Over 1,800 injured since 2022. The dead include the old and the young. A 74-year-old man, crushed at an intersection. A 43-year-old cyclist, killed on the Belt Parkway. A 48-year-old woman, thrown from a bike and left unconscious on 68th Street. The list goes on. Each one had a name. Each one had a place to be. Now there is only silence.

Cars and SUVs do the most damage. They killed four people and left nearly 250 injured or worse. Trucks and buses, motorcycles, mopeds, bikes—all have drawn blood here. But the biggest killers are still behind the wheel of a car or SUV. The numbers are plain: SUVs and cars caused four deaths and 244 injuries.

Reckless Driving, Empty Promises

The carnage is not random. It is not fate. It is speed, distraction, and recklessness. In September, a man was killed crossing Bay Ridge Avenue. The driver was not paying attention. In June, a cyclist died on the Belt Parkway. The cause: a car, going straight, did not stop. In another case, a woman was thrown from a bike and died on 68th Street. The pattern is clear. The pain is real.

A neighbor, after one crash, said, “She was a nice and kind girl, always smiling.” The grief is bottomless. Another relative said, “It’s devastating. It’s affecting everyone in our family, especially (Ruiz’s) mom. Maddy was her only daughter.”

What Has Been Done—and What Has Not

Local leaders have tools. They can lower speed limits. They can redesign streets. They can enforce the law. But the deaths keep coming. The police can crack down on speeding, reckless driving, and failure to yield. They can target crash hotspots. They can write tickets. They just need to act.

Every day of delay is another family shattered.

Call to Action: Demand Action Now

Call your council member. Call the precinct. Demand enforcement. Demand safer streets. The dead cannot speak. You can. Do not wait for another name to be added to the list.