SUV Driver Fatally Hits Woman Who Fell in Flatbush Street
A driver in a Toyota Highlander hit and killed 50-year-old pedestrian Aracely Courtenay at East 21st Street and Ditmas Avenue after police said she fell while crossing the Flatbush street.
What We Know
Aracely Courtenay, 50, was crossing East 21st Street near Ditmas Avenue just before 7 p.m. on Feb. 18, 2023, when police said she stepped into a depression in the roadway and fell. A 58-year-old man driving a 2015 Toyota Highlander north on East 21st Street was turning right onto Ditmas Avenue when he hit her, according to police accounts cited by amNewYork and the New York Post. Officers found Courtenay with severe head trauma, and she was pronounced dead at Kings County Hospital. The driver remained at the scene, and the Post reported that he had not been charged.
Police said she fell before the driver turned
The crash happened at about 6:59 p.m. on Feb. 18, 2023, at East 21st Street and Ditmas Avenue in Brooklyn. Police said Aracely Courtenay was crossing East 21st Street when she stepped into a depression in the roadway and fell to the pavement.
A 58-year-old man driving a 2015 Toyota Highlander was traveling north on East 21st Street and making a right turn onto Ditmas Avenue when he hit Courtenay, according to police accounts cited by amNewYork and the New York Post.
Aracely Courtenay was a pastor and mother
Courtenay was 50 and lived in Midwood, amNewYork reported. The New York Post described her as a married mother of three who served as the “first lady” at Emmanuel Church of God and led a women’s ministry there.
Officers found Courtenay with severe head trauma. She was taken to Kings County Hospital Center, where she was pronounced dead.
The Flatbush corner is near her church
The collision occurred at East 21st Street and Ditmas Avenue in Flatbush. The New York Post reported that the corner is about a half-mile from Emmanuel Church of God, where Courtenay served.
The driver stayed at the scene
Police said the driver remained at the scene after the crash. amNewYork reported on Feb. 19 that no arrests had been made, and the New York Post reported on Feb. 20 that the driver had not been charged.