Police Say Driver Hit and Dragged Pedestrian on Whitney Avenue
A driver in a westbound sedan fatally hit a 44-year-old pedestrian on Whitney Avenue on March 31, 2026, and police later charged Jose Dilone Duran with leaving the scene, the Daily News reported.
What We Know
The city crash record says a westbound sedan driver going straight ahead hit a 44-year-old pedestrian on Whitney Avenue, away from an intersection, and lists driver inattention or distraction as a factor. The Daily News identified the pedestrian as Edward Luyo, reported that he was near Macnish Street steps from his Elmhurst home and on his way to work, and said police accused the driver of leaving after dragging him down the block. Medics took Luyo to Elmhurst Hospital, where he died; police arrested Jose Dilone Duran about three hours later and charged him with leaving the scene and failure to exercise due care.
A midblock crossing turned fatal
The city crash record places the crash at 4:34 p.m. on March 31, 2026, on Whitney Avenue. It says a male driver in a westbound 2015 Nissan sedan was going straight ahead when the driver hit a 44-year-old man who was crossing away from an intersection.
The Daily News identified the man as Edward Luyo and reported that a driver in a gray 2015 Nissan Versa hit him midblock near Macnish Street, dragged him for about half a block and then left west on Whitney Avenue. Medics took Luyo to Elmhurst Hospital, where he died.
Whitney Avenue near Macnish Street
The official record locates the crash on Whitney Avenue in Queens. The Daily News placed it midblock near Macnish Street in Elmhurst, steps from Luyo's home and before he reached the subway on his way to work.
Edward Luyo was on his way to work
The Daily News reported that Luyo, 44, owned a concrete flooring company with his brother and was walking to the train with a co-worker to reach a Manhattan job site. The article also reported that his long-distance girlfriend missed a call from him minutes before he left home and learned later from his mother that he had been in a serious crash.
Police arrested a driver hours later
The Daily News reported that a co-worker who witnessed the crash gave police a license plate number after the driver stopped briefly and left. Police arrested Jose Dilone Duran, 53, about three hours after the crash, and he was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and failure to exercise due care.
Investigators recorded driver inattention
The city crash record lists driver inattention or distraction for the sedan driver. It also records that Luyo was crossing away from an intersection and outside a signal or crosswalk. A co-worker told the Daily News that the driver was moving fast and said that speed was part of why Luyo was dragged.