Driver Charged After Cyclist Killed in East Williamsburg
A southbound truck driver making a right turn hit and killed 56-year-old bicyclist Eugene Schroeder at Morgan and Johnson Avenues, and police later arrested Akilo Cadogan in the hit-and-run case.
What We Know
Eugene Schroeder, 56, was riding south on Morgan Avenue near Johnson Avenue late on March 9, 2023, when a truck driver turned right toward Johnson Avenue and hit him, according to police accounts reported by amNY and Gothamist. The official crash record lists one cyclist killed at 11:30 p.m. and identifies a southbound truck driver making a right turn and a southbound bicyclist going straight. Police later arrested Akilo Cadogan, and court records cited by Gothamist say he was charged with leaving an accident resulting in a death; he pleaded not guilty.
Police described a right-turn hit-and-run
The crash happened at about 11:30 p.m. on March 9, 2023, at Morgan Avenue and Johnson Avenue. The official record lists one person killed: a 56-year-old male bicyclist.
Police told amNY that Eugene Schroeder was riding in a marked bike lane southbound on Morgan Avenue and had stopped near the passenger side of a truck before the driver turned right toward Johnson Avenue, hit him and continued westbound. EMS took Schroeder to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Eugene Schroeder was remembered by his husband
Gothamist identified Schroeder as a Brooklyn resident and DJ who worked late nights at Hell’s Kitchen clubs including Ritz, Therapy and Barrage. His husband, John Rappaport, said the two had lived together for 17 years and described Schroeder as “the most special person in the whole world.”
An arrest came nearly a year later
Gothamist reported that police arrested Akilo Cadogan, 34, in February 2024 in connection with the fatal crash. Court records cited by Gothamist say Cadogan was arraigned and charged with leaving an accident resulting in a death, and that he pleaded not guilty.
A Department of Transportation spokesperson told Gothamist that Cadogan was a former seasonal DOT employee but was not employed by the agency at the time of the crash.
Where
Morgan Ave & Johnson Ave