A 25-year-old man walking with a friend in North Corona became the city’s first victim to be killed by a hit-and-run driver in 2026 while heading home from a New Year’s Eve party early Thursday morning.
Police from the 115th Precinct responded to a 911 call of a motor vehicle collision at 102nd Street and 37th Avenue just after 4 a.m. on New Year’s Day when they found the two victims. Further investigation by the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad determined that the driver of a white SUV, speeding southbound on 102nd Street towards Roosevelt Avenue, struck the two men as they crossed the street in the crosswalk, police said.
The motorist sped away from the scene without slowing down. The impact of the crash threw the first victim into a parked and unoccupied 2021 Honda Pilot and he became pinned underneath the vehicle. The second pedestrian, a 24-year-0ld man, was thrown into the roadway. First responders pronounced the first victim dead at the scene. The second pedestrian was rushed by EMS to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.
The NYPD has not identified the deceased or his critically injured friend as of midday Friday. There are no arrests and the investigation by the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad remains ongoing. The identity of the deceased is pending proper family notification.
Anyone with information regarding this fatal hit-and-run collision investigation is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
