Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Three Men Inside Honda Civic Dead After Driver Speeds Into Newtown Creek, Police Say
By
Sophia Chang
Published May 22, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Google Maps
By
Sophia Chang
Published May 22, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Three men inside a 2016 Honda Civic died after the driver crashed through barriers and into Newtown Creek in an industrial section of Long Island City early Saturday morning, police said.
Around 4:40 a.m., the driver of the Civic was headed west on Borden Avenue near the Long Island Expressway “at a high rate of speed” when the driver lost control, “overtaking a hill” and plunged the car into the creek, according to police and FDNY officials.
A witness told ABC-7 the driver sped over a skateboard ramp that was under an LIE overpass and propelled the car through a fence and into the creek.
Police responded to a 911 call and found three men in the submerged Civic. FDNY said they deployed “multiple rescue divers in conjunction with Marine units” to extract the men.
A 30-year-old man was taken to Weill Cornell Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. A 25-year-old man and another unidentified man were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where they were pronounced dead. Police could not immediately say which of the three men was driving the Civic.
CBS-2 reported that the responders initially couldn't see the submerged car in the pre-dawn hours, though FDNY Deputy Chief Fred Mallett said within ten minutes of arriving at the scene "we had divers in the water and approximately 10 minutes after that, we recovered two victims and pulled them out of the water."
The names of the men were not released pending family notification. NYPD’s Highway Collision Investigation Squad was investigating.
Tagged
newtown creek
Borden Avenue
long island city
speeding
Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang is a former WNYC and Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .