Two Drivers Fatally Hit Man Crossing the FDR Drive
Two northbound drivers hit Derek Coker as he crossed the FDR Drive near East Houston Street on April 15, 2026, in a crash city data recorded at 8:43 p.m. with one pedestrian killed.
What We Know
Derek Coker, 74, was walking across the FDR Drive near the East Houston Street exit on the night of April 15, 2026, when police said two northbound drivers hit him. The official crash record places the fatal crash at 8:43 p.m. and records one pedestrian death. Press accounts citing police say a 55-year-old man driving a Chevrolet hit Coker in the left northbound lane, and a 55-year-old woman driving a Mitsubishi then hit him in the center lane. Medics took Coker to Bellevue Hospital, where he died. Both drivers remained at the scene, and police reported no immediate arrests or charges. Records and articles agree on the Mitsubishi sedan, while the Chevrolet is described as an SUV in city data and Gothamist and as a sedan in the Daily News.
FDR Drive near the East Houston Street exit
The city crash record places the crash on the FDR Drive in Manhattan. Press accounts, citing police, say Coker was crossing near the East Houston Street exit; the Daily News described the area as East Village, while Gothamist described it as near the Lower East Side.
Police described a two-driver sequence
Police said Coker was crossing the highway from west to east when a 55-year-old man driving a black Chevrolet hit him in the left northbound lane. The official crash record gives the crash time as 8:43 p.m.
Police said Coker then landed in the center lane, where a 55-year-old woman driving a silver Mitsubishi hit him. First responders took him to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Derek Coker was 74
Police identified the man who died as Derek Coker, 74. Gothamist reported that his last known address was in Jamaica, Queens, and the Daily News reported that he lived in Queens.
Police said the 55-year-old man driving the Chevrolet and the 55-year-old woman driving the Mitsubishi both stayed at the scene. Police did not report immediate arrests or charges.
Records differ on the Chevrolet description
City records list two northbound drivers, each going straight ahead: a licensed New York male driver in a 2025 Chevrolet SUV and a licensed New York female driver in a 2024 Mitsubishi sedan.
Gothamist also described the Chevrolet as a black SUV and the Mitsubishi as a silver sedan. The Daily News described the Chevrolet as a black sedan, creating a conflict with the city record and Gothamist on that vehicle description.
Crossing circumstances were part of the investigation
The official person record says Coker was crossing outside an intersection and without a signal or crosswalk, and it lists pedestrian error or confusion as a contributing factor.
A police source told the Daily News that surveillance video showed Coker climbing over a divider before trying to cross the highway. Gothamist reported that officials were investigating why he was crossing the FDR Drive.