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Hit-And-Run Cab Driver Released Without Charges After Killing Woman On Queens Sidewalk
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Feb 25, 2019
Modified Feb 25, 2019
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By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Feb 25, 2019
Modified Feb 25, 2019
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A green cab driver who sped off after fatally striking a woman on a sidewalk in Queens this weekend has been released from police custody without any charges, according to authorities.
The 55-year-old driver—whose name has not yet been disclosed—ran over Sherena Hundalani, 26, at around 4 p.m. on Sunday, police said. According to a preliminary investigation, she was walking along the sidewalk on Queens Boulevard near 63rd Road when the driver pulled out of a Mobil gas station and hit her.
The man continued driving, and was ultimately apprehended at the intersection of 62nd Drive and Junction Boulevard—just a few blocks away. He was taken into custody, but was released hours later without charges, a spokesperson for the NYPD confirmed.
Distraught family members told the Daily News that Hundalani was on her way to Manhattan to pick up her mother. She worked at her family's restaurant in Hell's Kitchen, Mamacita’s Bar and Grill, and was "always trying to help," her father recalled. The victim was just half a mile from her Rego Park home when she was killed.
Upon learning that charges had not been filed against the driver, Hundalani's father told the News that he was "very surprised [because] it was a hit-and-run."
Several witnesses also told CBS News that the driver was behaving erratically after striking the young woman.
"It looked like a scene out of Grand Theft Auto," Brian Alston, who was at the scene, told the station. "He's driving literally on the sidewalk for like half the block. It looked like he was trying to evade somebody." A different good Samaritan said he reached into the cab's window and removed the keys from the car.
Following the crash, Hundalani was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. An investigation by the NYPD's Collision Investigation Squad is ongoing, according to police.
A spokesperson for the Queens District Attorney would not say why the driver was not charged.
Tagged
cab driver
crash
hit and run
pedestrian
pedestrian fatality
queens
rego park
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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