Driver Hits Cars Near Co-op City Mall, Killing Passenger
A 79-year-old driver in a Toyota hit two cars near The Mall at Bay Plaza on July 11, killing a 71-year-old woman passenger and injuring seven people, according to the NYPD and the city crash record.
What We Know
Police said a 79-year-old man driving a silver Toyota hit a black Hyundai and a white Acura outside The Mall at Bay Plaza before hitting a light pole. The city crash record lists the fatality as a 71-year-old woman passenger in the Toyota and records seven people injured, all motorists. The official record lists improper passing or lane use as a contributing factor for the Toyota; News 12 reported no pedestrians were injured and no arrests had been made.
Police described a Toyota driver hitting two cars and a pole
The NYPD told News 12 that the crash happened at 2063 Bartow Ave. just before 6 p.m. on July 11, 2025. Police said a 79-year-old man driving a silver Toyota hit a black Hyundai and a white Acura before hitting a light pole.
The city crash record places the crash at 5:25 p.m. and records one person killed and seven people injured. The fatality was a 71-year-old woman passenger seated in the right rear of the Toyota.
The people hurt were all traveling in vehicles
The official record classifies the person killed and the seven injured people as motorists. News 12 reported that the injured people were taken to the hospital and were expected to be OK, with ages ranging from 79 to an 11-year-old boy.
News 12 also reported that no pedestrians were injured, despite the crash happening outside The Mall at Bay Plaza while the area was crowded.
The press account and city record differ on the vehicle count
News 12 described a three-vehicle crash involving the Toyota, a Hyundai and an Acura. The city crash record contains four vehicle entries: a 2003 Toyota sedan, a 2020 Hyundai sedan, a 2011 Acura SUV and a parked 2025 Hyundai SUV.
The official record lists the Toyota's driver as going west and going straight ahead, the Hyundai sedan's driver as going west and slowing or stopping, and the Acura SUV's driver as stopped in traffic.
Improper passing or lane use appears in the city record
The official crash record lists improper passing or lane usage as a contributing factor for the Toyota involved in the crash. No arrests had been made, News 12 reported after the crash.
Bartow Avenue has a recent record of repeated crashes
The crash happened at 2063 Bartow Ave. in Co-op City, near The Mall at Bay Plaza.
CrashCountNYC’s Crash Finder counted 290 crashes, 187 injuries, 15 serious injuries and one death on Bartow Avenue in the Bronx from 2022 through June 1, 2026.