Driver Hit 88-Year-Old Pedestrian on Dry Harbor Road

Before dawn on Dry Harbor Road

The crash was recorded at 4:55 a.m. on July 29, 2023, at 61-88 Dry Harbor Road in Queens. The city record lists an 88-year-old male pedestrian killed and no other injuries.

Prosecutors told reporters that Filippo Bonura hit Chung Lun Shao near Dry Harbor Road and 84th Street in Middle Village. Published accounts said Shao was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center and died weeks later from injuries that included a brain bleed, broken ribs, a fractured pelvis, internal bleeding and a punctured lung.

The pedestrian and the driver

The Daily News identified the pedestrian as Chung Lun Shao, an 88-year-old Queens chef. Alice Shao, identified by the paper as his daughter, said people in the building expected to see her father for many more years.

The Daily News identified the driver as Filippo Bonura, 48, and described him as a tow truck driver with connections to the Bonanno crime family. Gothamist reported that prosecutors said Bonura’s license was suspended at the time of the crash.

Pickup and towing-license details

The city record lists the vehicle as a pickup truck, with the driver traveling west and going straight ahead before the crash. The Daily News and Gothamist identified it as a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado.

Accounts of how the crash happened conflict

The city record cites driver inattention or distraction and says the driver was unlicensed. It also records Shao as crossing away from an intersection, with no signal or crosswalk.

According to the Daily News, Bonura told police Shao stepped out between two cars and was walking across the street when Bonura ran into him. Alice Shao showed the paper video that she said told a different story; the Daily News reported that the footage showed Shao clearly visible in the roadway for several seconds before the driver hit him.