Driver Charged After FDR Drive Hit-and-Run Kills Pedestrian
At 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 10, 2024, police said Jose Turpo hit 59-year-old Jose Mojica in the FDR Drive’s southbound lanes and left; the official record lists one pedestrian killed.
What We Know
Police said Jose Turpo, 38, of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., hit 59-year-old Jose Mojica with a silver Nissan Sentra while Mojica was trying to cross the FDR Drive around 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 10, 2024. Medics took Mojica to Bellevue Hospital with severe head and body injuries, and he died on Sept. 5. Police said the driver did not stop and that investigators later traced a Pennsylvania plate through surveillance video. The city crash record lists one pedestrian killed and cites driver inattention or distraction for the sedan. The Daily News reported that Turpo’s license had been suspended, while the city vehicle record lists the driver as licensed in Pennsylvania.
A predawn crossing on the FDR Drive
The official record places the fatal crash on the FDR Drive at 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 10, 2024, with one pedestrian killed and no other injuries recorded.
Police told the Daily News that Jose Mojica, 59, was trying to cross the southbound lanes when Jose Turpo hit him with a silver Nissan Sentra. Medics took Mojica to Bellevue Hospital with severe head and body injuries, and police said he died on Sept. 5.
Southbound lanes between Lower East Side exits
The Daily News reported that the crash happened in the FDR Drive’s southbound lanes between the Houston Street and Grand Street/Williamsburg Bridge exits. The official record places the crash on FDR Drive near latitude 40.71664 and longitude -73.97561.
Police said Mojica lived in the nearby Baruch Houses, according to the Daily News.
Police arrested and charged the driver months later
Police said Turpo was taken into custody on Nov. 8, 2024, and charged with leaving the scene of an incident without reporting it and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. The Daily News reported that he was released on supervision after a brief arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court.
According to a complaint cited by the Daily News, Turpo told detectives he did not stop because he was scared. Police said surveillance video helped investigators trace a Pennsylvania plate and link the suspect to the vehicle.
Records describe inattention, a crossing, and a license dispute
The official vehicle record lists driver inattention or distraction for the sedan and says the driver was going straight south before the crash. The official person record says Mojica was a pedestrian away from an intersection and lists a vulnerable road-user error factor.
The Daily News reported that Turpo’s license had been suspended because of failure to pay child support, while the official vehicle record lists the driver as licensed in Pennsylvania.