Driver Charged After Juanita Vidal Killed in Bushwick Hit-and-Run
A driver disregarded traffic control at Eldert Street and Knickerbocker Avenue on May 9, 2024, and police later charged Robert Matthews in the hit-and-run that killed 71-year-old Juanita Vidal.
What We Know
Juanita Vidal, 71, was killed and another pedestrian was injured at Eldert Street and Knickerbocker Avenue in Brooklyn at about 5:02 p.m. on May 9, 2024. The crash record lists traffic-control disregard and involves a moving 2024 Mazda sedan, a parked Chevrolet van and a parked Honda sedan. amNY reported that police later arrested Robert Matthews, 26, after law enforcement sources said an NYPD unit had tried to stop a Mazda, the driver fled north on Eldert Street, went through two stop signs, hit Vidal and her daughter as they crossed, then left on foot. The article said Matthews faced charges including second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, fleeing police and leaving a crash resulting in death.
Police said a stop attempt became a deadly hit-and-run
The official crash record places the collision at 5:02 p.m. on May 9, 2024, at Eldert Street and Knickerbocker Avenue. It records one pedestrian killed and one pedestrian injured, with traffic-control disregard listed as a contributing factor.
amNY reported that law enforcement sources said an NYPD unit tried to pull over a Mazda before the driver fled northbound on Eldert Street from Wilson Avenue. The article said the driver went through two stop signs at Eldert Street and Knickerbocker Avenue, hit Juanita Vidal and her 44-year-old daughter as they crossed, then left the scene on foot.
Juanita Vidal died, and her daughter was hospitalized
The city record identifies the person killed as a 71-year-old female pedestrian who was crossing in a marked crosswalk at the intersection. amNY identified her as Juanita Vidal and reported that EMS took her to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
amNY reported that Vidal’s 44-year-old daughter was also hit while crossing with her and was taken to NYC Health and Hospitals/Elmhurst in critical but stable condition.
Records and reporting describe the Mazda differently
The official crash record lists a moving 2024 Mazda as a sedan traveling north, along with a parked 2011 Chevrolet van and a parked 2011 Honda sedan. The same record lists the Mazda driver as unlicensed and records unsafe speed in the vehicle entry.
amNY described the Mazda as a 2024 Mazda CX-5 and reported that after the driver hit the pedestrians, he hit the back of an unoccupied parked Chevrolet van, pushing it into an unoccupied 2011 Honda Fit.
Robert Matthews was arrested in July
amNY reported that detectives arrested Robert Matthews, 26, of Brooklyn, on July 22 within the 83rd Precinct. The article said he faced charges including second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, unlawful fleeing of a police officer in a motor vehicle and leaving an accident resulting in death.
A Bushwick intersection on a corridor with repeated harm
The crash happened at Eldert Street and Knickerbocker Avenue in Brooklyn, along the Knickerbocker Avenue corridor.
CrashCountNYC’s location context for Knickerbocker Avenue in Brooklyn counted 768 crashes, 318 injuries, 12 serious injuries and 2 deaths from 2022 through June 1, 2026.