Driver Charged With Murder After Two Killed at Manhattan Bridge
Prosecutors charged driver Autumn Romero with murder after a July 19 crash that the official record says killed a bicyclist and a pedestrian at Manhattan Bridge and Bowery, where prosecutors alleged she drove off the span at high speed and hit Kevin Cruickshank and May Kwok.
What We Know
Kevin Cruickshank, 55, and May Kwok, 63, were killed on the morning of July 19, 2025, at the Manhattan Bridge and Bowery. The official crash record lists unsafe speed in a crash involving a sedan and a bike, with a bicyclist and a pedestrian killed and one motorist injured. Prosecutors alleged that driver Autumn Romero came off the Manhattan Bridge at high speed in a rented Chevrolet Malibu, hit Cruickshank as he rode a bike and Kwok as she sat on a bench, then hit an unoccupied NYPD vehicle. Police charged Romero with murder, manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide and other offenses; her passenger, Kennedy Lecraft, was charged in the case with weapon, stolen-property and unauthorized-use counts.
What prosecutors say happened
The official crash record places the crash at 7:26 a.m. on July 19, 2025, at Manhattan Bridge and Bowery and lists two people killed and one person injured. Press accounts and prosecutors described the time as about 7:30 a.m.
Prosecutors alleged that Autumn Romero lost control of a rented Chevrolet Malibu while coming off the Manhattan Bridge at high speed, hit bicyclist Kevin Cruickshank and pedestrian May Kwok near Canal Street and Bowery, and then hit an unoccupied NYPD vehicle parked nearby. Both Cruickshank and Kwok were pronounced dead at the scene.
The bridge exit meets a busy Chinatown crossing
The crash happened where Manhattan-bound traffic leaves the Manhattan Bridge into Chinatown at Bowery and Canal Street. Streetsblog described the bridge approach as highway-like and said advocates had long pressed the city for safer conditions on Canal Street.
After the killings, Gothamist reported that city transportation officials planned new physical barriers at Bowery and Canal Street, a process to lower the Manhattan Bridge approach speed limit from 35 mph to 20 mph, and lane-narrowing measures meant to discourage speeding.
Kevin Cruickshank and May Kwok were identified by police
The official person records list a 55-year-old male bicyclist and a 63-year-old female pedestrian killed. NYPD officials identified them as Kevin Cruickshank of Manhattan and May Kwok of Brooklyn.
Cruickshank's family said he was a regular fixture in his neighborhood, known for a warm, welcoming spirit and love of helping friends and neighbors. ABC7 reported that friends said he had set out for a morning bike ride from Morningside Heights.
The New York Post reported that Kwok's brother identified her and said she lived with him in Bushwick. He told the paper he wanted justice for his sister.
Speed, alcohol allegations and a defense claim
The official crash record lists unsafe speed as a contributing factor for the sedan driver. Prosecutors later alleged Romero was driving at high speed; Gothamist reported police officials said she was allegedly drunk and speeding at 109 mph before she lost control.
At Romero's arraignment, prosecutors said police found an open tequila bottle in the passenger area, a travel cup with a strong odor of alcohol, and two 9 mm semiautomatic pistols with ammunition in the trunk. Romero's lawyer told Gothamist that he was arguing the crash happened after passenger Kennedy LeCraft tried to grab the wheel.
Criminal case and street-safety response
Police charged Romero with murder, manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide, criminal possession of a weapon, leaving the scene of an accident and other offenses. Gothamist reported that a judge ordered her held in jail on the charges.
The Daily News reported on Aug. 6 that Romero pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and related charges and that Lecraft pleaded not guilty to criminal possession of a weapon and related counts.
Transportation officials later said they would fast-track safety changes at the intersection and begin community engagement for a broader Canal Street redesign earlier than planned.