Driver Charged After Woman Killed While Pushing Stroller in Bath Beach
At about 1:04 p.m. on Sept. 12, 2023, police said Faheem Shabazz turned left at Bath and 25th avenues in Bath Beach and hit Xia Ying Chen, 66, who the official record says was crossing with the signal; she died at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn.
What We Know
Xia Ying Chen, 66, was killed on Sept. 12, 2023, at Bath Avenue and 25th Avenue in Bath Beach. The official record says she was crossing at the intersection with the signal when a licensed driver making a left turn failed to yield and was inattentive or distracted. Police identified the driver as Faheem Shabazz and said he turned left in a Dodge Ram while Chen pushed a 2-year-old in a stroller. Chen died at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn. Reports differed on the child's condition: Brooklyn Paper said the child had no injuries, while the Daily News quoted a witness who said the child had a cut to the forehead and was expected to recover. Shabazz was charged with failure to yield.
A left turn into a crosswalk
Police said Faheem Shabazz, 56, was driving south on 25th Avenue in a Dodge Ram and turned left onto Bath Avenue, where he hit Xia Ying Chen as she pushed a 2-year-old in a stroller in the crosswalk just after 1 p.m.
The official record places Chen at the intersection crossing with the signal and lists driver inattention or distraction and failure to yield as contributing factors.
Xia Ying Chen and the child with her
Chen, 66, was taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn in critical condition and was later pronounced dead.
The articles reported that Chen was pushing a 2-year-old family member in a stroller. Brooklyn Paper described the child as her grandchild and said the child had no injuries; the Daily News described the child as her granddaughter and quoted a witness who said the child had a cut to the forehead and was expected to make a full recovery.
Police issued a failure-to-yield charge
Brooklyn Paper reported that Shabazz remained at the scene and that police said no criminality was suspected while the investigation continued. The same report said he was charged with two counts of failing to yield to a pedestrian, and the Daily News reported that police charged him with failure to yield.
The Daily News reported that Shabazz worked as an MTA bus driver.
A Bath Beach intersection with prior crash history
The crash happened at Bath Avenue and 25th Avenue in Brooklyn's 11214 ZIP code.
Brooklyn Paper reported, citing CrashMapper, that five people had been injured in four crashes at the intersection. The article also noted nearby fatal crashes in recent years, including the deaths of Emur Shavkator near Bay 25th Street and Benson Avenue in 2019 and Ali Sama at Bath Avenue and Bay 23rd Street in 2020.
Elected officials called for accountability and safer streets
After Chen was killed, Brooklyn Paper reported that state Sen. Andrew Gounardes called for tougher consequences for repeat traffic offenders, saying people with violations face too few consequences.
State Sen. Iwen Chu, who represents Bath Beach, called on the city Department of Transportation to study the area and consider safety improvements.