Trying to cross the Long Island Expressway on foot proved deadly for a Jackson Heights man who was struck and killed by an SUV in Bayside on Tuesday night.
Police said the incident happened just before 9:09 p.m. on Feb. 20 along the expressway’s westbound lanes at 219th Street, near the Springfield Boulevard exit.
According to law enforcement sources, Sameer Chettri, 35, of 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights was observed walking across the LIE’s westbound lanes when he was struck by a 2017 Toyota RAV4 operated by a 52-year-old woman. After striking the man, police said, the driver stopped her vehicle and remained at the scene.
Sources familiar with the investigation said it is unclear why Chettri was walking across the LIE, which is off-limits to pedestrians.
Video provided to QNS by Janis Darginsky shows the police response and traffic diversions following the incident.
Officers from the 111th Precinct and EMS units responded to a 911 call at the location. Chettri was found lying in the roadway unconscious, with trauma to his body and head. Paramedics rushed him to North Shore University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
No charges have been filed against the driver. The NYPD Collision Investigation Squad is looking into the case.
