Transportation Alternatives, Families for Safe Streets Statements After Driver of NYPD Tow Truck Kills 7-Year-Old Boy in Fort Greene

Nine children under 18 have been killed in traffic violence this year.

This is the 200th fatality of the year and the 73rd pedestrian killed.

BROOKLYN, NY — On Thursday morning, the driver of an NYPD tow truck struck and killed a 7-year-old boy as he rode a green kick-scooter with his mother in the crosswalk on Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

Today’s crash occurred just five blocks from where three-month-old Apolline Mong Guillemin was killed in 2021. After that crash, then-Borough President Eric Adams said, “We need a holistic re-thinking of our streetscape to stop this carnage, and deter the kind of reckless action we saw on this street the other night.”

Two years later, as mayor, the NYC Street Plan remains behind schedule and projects, including Ashland Place’s protected bike lanes just blocks away, are being undermined or blocked by the Adams administration.

Following the death of the 100th child since Vision Zero began, TA and Families for Safe Streets released recommendations to protect children on our streets. This includes universal daylighting at intersections, car-free streets at schools, and expanded safe routes to school. 

Statement from Danny Harris, Transportation Alternatives Executive Director:

“We are furious to hear that the driver of an NYPD tow truck struck and killed a 7-year-old boy today. No parent should have to bury their own child, and this devastating crash robbed this boy of the future he deserved to have.”

“Every single crash is preventable. We know how to make our streets safe for everyone, especially the youngest New Yorkers. Instead of redesigning our most dangerous roads and meeting the mandates of the NYC Streets Plan, Mayor Adams would rather play politics — watering down, delaying, and even canceling already-approved projects by his own Department of Transportation.”

“New Yorkers have had enough with this administration’s excuses on street safety. How many more children have to die before Mayor Adams takes action?” 

Statement from Amy Tam Lau, a Member of Families for Safe Streets: 

“A reckless driver killed my daughter, Allison, when she was only three years old. Allison was walking in the crosswalk, with the light, holding her grandmother’s hand. Her death has brought me unending, unfathomable pain, and I’m devastated to learn that another family is now experiencing the very worst day of their lives. Our city must do more to protect our youngest and most vulnerable pedestrians – there’s absolutely no reason a single child should be killed on our streets.”