Tractor-Trailer Driver Kills Pedestrian on Eastern Parkway
A 50-year-old man driving a 2019 tractor-trailer hit and killed Deborah Koonce, 69, near Eastern Parkway and Schenectady Avenue on Sept. 19, 2025, according to police accounts and the city crash record.
What We Know
A 50-year-old man driving a 2019 tractor-trailer hit Deborah Koonce, 69, near Eastern Parkway and Schenectady Avenue on the morning of Sept. 19, 2025. The city crash record places the crash at 5:18 a.m. and records one pedestrian killed and no other injuries. It lists view obstructed or limited as a contributing factor. Early reports described the case as a hit-and-run and said the driver left, while a later News 12 report said police were not investigating it that way because the driver claimed he did not see Koonce in the road.
A Friday-morning crash killed Deborah Koonce
The city crash record places the crash at 5:18 a.m. on Sept. 19, 2025, near Eastern Parkway and Schenectady Avenue in Brooklyn. News 12 identified the woman killed as Deborah Koonce, 69.
Brooklyn Paper, citing police, reported that the driver was heading east and hit the woman in the crosswalk at Schenectady Avenue. The city crash record lists the pedestrian location as not at an intersection, so the public accounts differ on where she was in the roadway.
Initial Brooklyn Paper and News 12 reports described the case as a hit-and-run. A later News 12 report said police were not investigating it that way because the driver claimed he did not see Koonce in the road.
Koonce lived close to the crash site
News 12 reported that Koonce was found dead only a block from where she lived at the Institute for Community Living. The organization said Deborah was a long-time member of its community and that East House was her home.
Brooklyn Paper reported that passersby called 911 and that paramedics declared Koonce dead at the scene.
Reports used different descriptions for the truck
The city crash record lists the involved vehicle type as a dump truck traveling east. News 12 said authorities described a 50-year-old man driving a 2019 Western Star tractor-trailer, while Brooklyn Paper reported that an 18-wheeler was involved.
Visibility and road restrictions are part of the record
The city crash record lists view obstructed or limited as a contributing factor. One vehicle entry also lists oversized vehicle as a factor.
News 12 reported that multiple signs on Eastern Parkway read passenger cars only and that the outlet asked the Department of Transportation about the tractor-trailer being on the parkway.
Eastern Parkway has a long crash record
The crash happened at Eastern Parkway and Schenectady Avenue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
On the Eastern Parkway corridor in Brooklyn, CrashCountNYC Crash Finder counts 2,111 crashes, 1,422 injuries, 85 serious injuries and 7 deaths since 2022.
Police investigated while neighbors voiced fear
Brooklyn Paper reported that police blocked the intersection for several hours after the crash. Residents told the outlet that Eastern Parkway is dangerous and urged accountability for the driver.