A 28-year-old Brooklyn nurse was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Sunset Park after finishing an overnight shift, police said.
State Sen. Andrew Gounardes identified the victim as Jiayi Zheng and said she was heading home when she was struck.
Brooklyn nurse killed while crossing Third Avenue
Zheng was hit shortly before 7:40 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of 55th Street and Third Avenue, according to police. Investigators said a black Cadillac traveling southbound on Third Avenue struck her as she crossed the street.
Zheng suffered severe body trauma and was taken to NYU Langone Hospital, where she later died. The driver fled the scene and remained at large as of Sunday. No arrests have been announced.
NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn released a statement mourning Zheng’s death:
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Jiayi Zheng, a nurse at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn,” the statement said. “This is a tragic loss, and we extend our sincere condolences to her family, loved ones, and colleagues. Our nurses play an essential role in caring for others with compassion and dedication, and this loss is being felt across our entire community.”
A woman who asked not to be identified was inside a deli at the corner when Zheng was struck.
“I walked outside and see the lady on the corner, I feel so bad, I can’t take it no more,” she said.
Video obtained by police appears to show a black Cadillac speeding southbound on Third Avenue. Zheng did not appear to see the vehicle approaching, and investigators said she likely had little time to react.
The vehicle struck Zheng and threw her several feet. Customers inside the deli ran outside to help the critically injured nurse.
Advocates call for Third Avenue safety improvements
The fatal crash has renewed calls for safety improvements along a section of Third Avenue that has been the site of multiple deadly crashes.
According to Transportation Alternatives, Zheng’s death was the 11th fatality involving a pedestrian or cyclist on the two-mile stretch of Third Avenue beneath the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway since 2014. The advocacy group said six pedestrians and five cyclists have been killed along the corridor during that period.
Advocates also noted that another nurse at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn was killed in 2020 while biking home from an overnight shift near Third Avenue and 56th Street, just blocks from where Zheng was struck. They pointed to a 2023 city proposal to redesign the corridor that has not yet been implemented.
Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, called Zheng’s death “heartbreaking and outrageous” in a statement and urged the city to fast-track safety improvements.
The organization said nine people have been killed in hit-and-run crashes across New York City during the last two weeks. It also said hundreds of advocates recently gathered outside City Hall to demand stronger action to address traffic violence.
Police have not announced any arrests, and the driver who struck Zheng remains at large. Anyone with information about the crash is urged to contact authorities.
