Separate hit-and-run collisions in Harlem over the weekend killed two people in Harlem within 24 hours of each other.
Just before 10:45 p.m. on Nov. 2, police said the driver of a blue Toyota minivan struck a male cyclist at West 155th Street and Saint Nicholas Avenue. The cyclist was taken to Harlem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Shortly before, the minivan driver had been stopped by police at 152nd Street and Broadway, but fled the scene and was speeding eastbound on 155th Street when they struck the cyclist. Police have not made public any leads on the perp.
Less than 24 hours later, shortly after 9 p.m. on Nov. 3, police say a 66-year-old man was walking southbound on 5th Avenue when he was struck by a Toyota Rav-4 driver traveling west on 135th Street.
First responders discovered the man laying in the roadway with severe traumatic injuries to his head; he was taken to Harlem Hospital but could not be saved.
Again, the Toyota driver did not remain on the scene, and police have not made public any leads.
The latter crash took place just a block from where 3-year-old Jaynelyse Valdez was fatally struck in July, at 135th and Lenox. In that case, the driver, who remained on scene, was arrested last week and charged with failing to yield to a pedestrian.
As of last week, New York City had recorded 209 traffic fatalities this year, down 3.2% from the same period last year, according to NYPD statistics.
Hit-and-run collisions causing injury or death were up 34% in the first two quarters of 2024 compared to last year, with 39 such incidents recorded by police.
