Teen driver charged after fatal Ocean Parkway sidewalk crash
A 17-year-old driver in a Tesla sedan was charged after police said he went onto the sidewalk at Ocean Parkway and Avenue M, where the official record lists pedestrian Milorad Rajacic, 76, killed and another pedestrian injured.
What We Know
Police accounts said a 17-year-old driver in a speeding Tesla lost control on Ocean Parkway, mounted the sidewalk near Avenue M and hit Milorad Rajacic, 76. The official record lists one pedestrian killed and one pedestrian injured in the Brooklyn crash, and records driver inattention or distraction and unsafe speed for the sedan driver. The Post reported that the driver also hit a traffic signal pole, a bench where a 24-year-old man was sitting, and a parked motorcycle. Police arrested the teen nearby and charged him with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, according to the Post.
A sidewalk crash followed a loss of control on Ocean Parkway
The city crash record lists the collision at Ocean Parkway and Avenue M in Brooklyn at 9:18 p.m. on June 7, 2023. The Daily News reported a similar time, about 9:20 p.m., while the Post reported around 10:20 p.m.
Police told both outlets that a 17-year-old driver in a speeding Tesla lost control near Avenue M and went onto the sidewalk, where he hit 76-year-old Milorad Rajacic. The Post reported that the driver also hit a traffic signal pole, a bench where a 24-year-old man was sitting, and a parked motorcycle.
Milorad Rajacic was walking home, his family told reporters
The Post reported that Rajacic, of Old Westbury, suffered severe head and torso trauma and died at Maimonides Medical Center. The Daily News reported that his wife, Emilia Rajacic, said he had been walking home after maintenance work at a nearby building and was killed three blocks from their residence.
His son Peter Rajacic told the Daily News, “The whole family is in shock now,” and described his father as “hard-working, tough as nails.”
Another man was injured on the median
The Post reported that a 24-year-old man was sitting on a bench in the median when the driver hit it. He was taken to Maimonides Medical Center with minor leg injuries and was listed in stable condition.
Investigators recorded inattention and speed
The official crash record lists driver inattention or distraction as a contributing factor for the crash. The official vehicle entry for the Tesla sedan lists driver inattention or distraction and unsafe speed, and both news accounts said police described the teen driver as speeding before he lost control.
Police arrested the teen driver nearby
The Post reported that the teen driver left his destroyed car and was arrested nearby. Police charged him with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, and his name was withheld because of his age.
Ocean Parkway has seen repeated harm since 2022
The crash happened at Ocean Parkway and Avenue M in Brooklyn, according to the official record and Crash Finder location data.
Crash Finder records for Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn show 1,741 crashes, 1,281 injuries, 62 serious injuries and 7 deaths from the start of 2022 through June 1, 2026.