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Bronx great-grandma was picking up snacks when motorcycle fatally struck her, family says
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Jun 30, 2026
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Campbell family
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Jun 30, 2026
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A 93-year-old Bronx great-grandmother was fatally struck by a hit-and-run motorcycle rider on Monday afternoon while heading to a nearby store to pick up snacks. Police said they are looking for the person who hit her.
Leonora Campbell, who immigrated to New York from Jamaica almost 70 years ago, was just three blocks from her home in Wakefield, returning from a second trip to buy candy and fruit from Vital Care Pharmacy because she couldn’t carry so many bags at once, her grandson Rolando Barrett told Gothamist.
Campbell was in the crosswalk at East 225th Street and White Plains Road around 2:30 p.m., police said, when a 2012 Yamaha motorcycle barreled into her, killing her at the scene.
“Every part of her was broken, every bone,” Barrett said, adding that his brother made it to the scene before EMS workers took Campbell to the hospital.
Barrett said his grandmother was an energetic nonagenarian who had lived in Wakefield for four decades, earning her the nickname “The Original” from local residents.
After years spent working as a nurse and a home health aide, Campbell was enjoying life at a slower pace, taking local walks and keeping up with her three children, six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, Barrett said.
“She's a member of the church, so she does a lot of things to try to help out for the church, and just helps kids in general when she’s around,” he said. “What’s keeping her going and keeping her motivated is to take her walks.”
Carmen Pichardo, an employee at the pharmacy where Campbell was a regular and visited just before her death, said White Plains Road and its intersections are especially busy with traffic, double parked cars and two-wheelers squealing through.
“They drive through here crazy,” said Pichardo, who recognized Campbell as a longtime patron. “It’s devastating … I know we have a lot of loyal customers and we provide for the elderly.”
Campbell’s death adds to a rising number of people killed in crashes involving motorized two-wheelers so far this year, even as police and Department of Transportation officials are stepping up enforcement efforts across the five boroughs. The same day Campbell was killed, a 13-year-old Queens boy died when the moped he was riding on — driven by another 13-year-old — crashed into an open car door and then hit a truck, according to the NYPD.
Police said they are still looking for the driver who hit Campbell, describing him as a man in his 30s on a gray, red and white motorcycle who fled eastbound on East 225th Street. Barrett said witnesses told him the man stopped, saw that he hit the elderly woman and drove off.
“Just give up and turn yourself in,” Barrett pleaded.
Barrett acknowledged efforts by city authorities to keep both riders and pedestrians safe, but said some of the factors are outside their control.
“ The city is trying by putting the bike lanes and all that, but nobody doesn't follow it,” he said. “When it comes down to summertime, like right now and kids are out of school, it's just really getting out of hand with some of these bikes.”
NYPD officials said they have been working alongside the DOT to crack down on businesses selling illegal motorized two-wheelers that have been modified to reach high speeds or otherwise violate city regulations.
Barrett said the whole family is just hoping to get justice for Campbell, adding that he would especially miss her “vibrant ways.”
“[She] was very loving and caring, and she brought up all of us as one, you know, to make sure that everybody is equal,” he said.
Tagged
bronx
hit-and-runs
motorcycle accident
nypd
pedestrian death
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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