Driver Kills Judith Byron in Sunset Park Hit-and-Run
Police said a driver in a silver SUV ran a red light and left after hitting 75-year-old Judith Byron at Seventh Avenue and 41st Street, where the official record says she was crossing with the signal.
What We Know
At about 9:35 p.m. on Oct. 4, 2025, a driver traveling north on Seventh Avenue hit 75-year-old Judith Byron at 41st Street in Sunset Park. The official record says Byron, a pedestrian, was at the intersection and crossing with the signal, and it lists traffic control disregarded as a contributing factor. Police told news outlets the driver ran a red light and left after the crash. Reports described the vehicle as a silver SUV; CBS and News 12 reported a silver Toyota SUV. First responders took Byron to Maimonides Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. Police were still searching for the driver in the immediate aftermath.
Police described a red-light hit-and-run
The crash happened just after 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 4, 2025, at Seventh Avenue and 41st Street in Sunset Park. The official record says a 75-year-old woman was killed while crossing with the signal at the intersection.
Police told news outlets a driver in a silver SUV was traveling north on Seventh Avenue, ran a red light, hit Judith Byron, and left the scene. First responders took her to Maimonides Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Judith Byron was remembered as a neighborhood fixture
Police identified the woman killed as 75-year-old Judith Byron. CBS reported that she lived around the corner from the intersection, and News 12 reported that her husband, Henry Byron, said they had been married for more than 50 years.
Family members and neighbors described Byron as deeply loved. Her daughter, Tomasina Byron, told CBS that her mother was her best friend, and News 12 reported that community members called Byron a light in the neighborhood.
The corner sits on a crash-heavy Seventh Avenue corridor
The crash happened at Seventh Avenue and 41st Street in Brooklyn, near Sunset Park. CrashCountNYC location data for Seventh Avenue in Brooklyn shows 837 crashes, 505 injuries, 23 serious injuries, and 6 deaths since 2022.
Police searched for a silver SUV driver
ABC7 and NBC reported that investigators described the vehicle as a silver SUV. CBS reported that sources described it as a silver Toyota, and News 12 reported that police were searching for a silver Toyota SUV.
ABC7 reported there were no arrests as authorities investigated what led up to the crash. CBS reported that Byron’s family hoped nearby surveillance cameras could help identify the driver.
Traffic control was central to the account
The official crash record lists traffic control disregarded as a contributing factor, and the vehicle entry lists traffic control disregarded and driver inattention or distraction. Press accounts said police reported that the driver ran a red light before hitting Byron.
Neighbors pressed for safety changes afterward
The Brooklyn Eagle reported that Sunset Park residents demanded safety upgrades at Seventh Avenue and 41st Street after three crashes in a month, including the fatal hit-and-run that killed Byron. Residents petitioned for speed and red-light cameras, and DOT told News 12 it was reviewing the location for improvements.