Driver accused in fatal Sunset Park hit-and-run
Police said Eric Rodriguez hit 64-year-old Douglas Bradley at Fifth Avenue and 44th Street in Sunset Park and left the scene; the official record lists the Dec. 21, 2025 crash as a fatal pedestrian crash involving a sedan.
What We Know
At 6:23 a.m. on Dec. 21, 2025, a driver in a sedan hit 64-year-old pedestrian Douglas Bradley at Fifth Avenue and 44th Street in Sunset Park, according to police accounts cited by local news; the city crash record lists one pedestrian death at that time and location. Medics took Bradley to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn in critical condition, and he died Jan. 2. Police said the driver continued north on Fifth Avenue. Authorities later arrested 25-year-old Eric Rodriguez and accused him of leaving the scene; he pleaded not guilty and was released without bail. Bradley's family told the Daily News he was a Crown Heights grandfather and drug counselor whose recovery work drew mourners to his funeral.
The crash and the account of the impact
At 6:23 a.m. on Dec. 21, 2025, a licensed male driver traveling north and going straight in a 2020 BMW sedan was recorded in a fatal pedestrian crash at Fifth Avenue and 44th Street in Brooklyn. The city record lists one person killed: a 64-year-old male pedestrian.
Police accounts published by local news identified the pedestrian as Douglas Bradley and said a driver in a white sedan hit him at or near 44th Street and Fifth Avenue in Sunset Park. Medics took Bradley to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn in critical condition, and he died Jan. 2.
The official pedestrian entry says Bradley was not at an intersection, while the Daily News and Brooklyn Eagle described police accounts that placed him in the intersection or in the roadway.
A fatal crash on Brooklyn's Fifth Avenue corridor
The crash was recorded at Fifth Avenue and 44th Street in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, where police accounts also placed the impact.
Along 5th Avenue in Brooklyn, CrashCountNYC's location context counts 1,330 crashes, 883 injuries, 32 serious injuries and 6 deaths since 2022.
Douglas Bradley's family described a counselor and grandfather
The Daily News identified Bradley as a 64-year-old Crown Heights resident, grandfather, social worker and drug counselor. His family said he had overcome addiction and devoted his life to helping other people with substance-abuse struggles.
Bradley's daughter, Nia Bradley, told the Daily News that his family made the decision to take him off life support after he clung to life for nearly two weeks. His son, Douglas Bradley Jr., said many of the people Bradley helped in recovery came to his funeral.
Police later arrested the accused driver
Police said the driver continued north on Fifth Avenue after hitting Bradley. Authorities later arrested 25-year-old Eric Rodriguez.
Reports described the charge differently: the Daily News said Rodriguez was charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, while News 12 reported two counts of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting. The Daily News reported that Rodriguez pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn Supreme Criminal Court, was released without bail, and was due back in court April 16.
Official factor differs from the news focus
The city person record lists pedestrian error or confusion as a contributing factor for the 64-year-old pedestrian. The reviewed news accounts do not describe police attributing the collision to that factor; they focus on allegations that the driver did not remain at the scene.