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'Too often in New York': 14-year-old boy killed by speeding driver in Brooklyn, police say
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Jan 28, 2024
Modified Jan 28, 2024
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evgeny_pylayev via Getty Images
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Jan 28, 2024
Modified Jan 28, 2024
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A 14-year-old boy was killed in Brooklyn on Saturday after an unlicensed driver sped through an intersection, crashed into another car, spun out and struck the teen, according to the NYPD.
The boy, identified as Christian Antoine, was around the corner from his home when he was killed. He was standing a few steps off the sidewalk at East 81st Street and Glenwood Road in Canarsie around 6 p.m. when the driver blew through a stop sign and crashed into the other car, police said.
Antoine was taken to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Police said the driver, 45-year-old Rayan Salmon, did not have a driver's license. He was arrested and charged with aggravated unlicensed operation.
At least 16 other people have been killed by motorists in the city so far this year, according to the city Department of Transportation. Antoine’s death comes the same month as the 10th anniversary of Vision Zero, which was launched in 2014 with the goal of eliminating fatal car crashes across the five boroughs.
Danny Harris, the executive director of the street safety advocacy group Transportation Alternatives said too many children are falling victim to traffic violence.
“It’s heartbreaking that another family in New York will live the rest of their life without a blessed child, and these things happen too often in New York,” said Harris. “We have every tool to make our streets safe and we need the mayor to ensure that nobody has to fear death.”
DOT data shows 257 people were killed in car crashes in New York last year, 99 of whom were pedestrians. Officials noted that was the second-lowest number of pedestrian deaths recorded in a calendar year in the 113 years since the city began tracking the metric.
But Harris said the city has a long way to go to make the streets safer. Transportation Alternatives is pushing lawmakers in Albany to pass legislation that would enable the city to lower its speed limits.
This story was updated with traffic fatality numbers from the city Department of Transportation.
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new york city
public safety
transportation
brooklyn
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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