Motorcyclist Fatally Hits 93-Year-Old in Wakefield Crosswalk
Police said a 31-year-old man riding a Yamaha hit a 93-year-old woman in a marked Wakefield crosswalk and fled; relatives remembered the victim as a churchgoing great-grandmother.
Reported by press, not yet linked to NYC police crash records. This may change when new official records become available or when matching details are reviewed.
Location under review
What We Know
Police said a 31-year-old man riding a 2012 Yamaha YZF-R1 was traveling east on East 225th Street when he hit a 93-year-old woman crossing southbound in the marked crosswalk at White Plains Road. EMS took her to Jacobi Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, and police said the rider fled east on East 225th Street. Several reports identify the victim as Lenora Campbell, while Gothamist and CBS spell her first name Leonora; CBS also reported her age as 96. Relatives described her as a churchgoing great-grandmother and longtime Wakefield resident who had been out near home buying food or snacks.
A marked-crosswalk hit-and-run
Police said the crash happened around 2:26 p.m. on Monday, June 29, at East 225th Street and White Plains Road in Wakefield. Investigators said a 31-year-old man riding a 2012 Yamaha YZF-R1 east on East 225th Street hit a 93-year-old woman who was crossing southbound within the marked crosswalk on White Plains Road.
EMS took the woman to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, where she was pronounced dead. Police said the motorcyclist fled east on East 225th Street; as of the later police account reported by Norwood News, no arrest had been made and the Collision Investigation Squad investigation was continuing.
Reports identify a longtime Bronx resident, with some details in conflict
News 12, the Daily News and Norwood News identified the pedestrian as 93-year-old Lenora Campbell. Gothamist and CBS New York spell her first name Leonora, and CBS described her as 96.
Relatives told Gothamist that Campbell had immigrated from Jamaica almost 70 years earlier, lived in Wakefield for decades and was a retired nurse and home health aide. Family members described her as devoted to church, local walks and younger relatives; CBS quoted her granddaughter Sherice Thomas saying, "Everybody loved her."
A busy Wakefield crossing near home and daily errands
Gothamist reported that Campbell was only a few blocks from home and was returning from a trip to Vital Care Pharmacy for candy and fruit when she was hit. News 12 also reported that she was struck just blocks from home while crossing White Plains Road at East 225th Street.
Carmen Pichardo, a pharmacy employee who recognized Campbell as a regular customer, told Gothamist that White Plains Road and its intersections are especially busy with traffic, double-parked cars and two-wheelers. "They drive through here crazy," Pichardo said.
Witnesses described speed before the rider left
A witness, Junior Manes, told the Daily News the motorcyclist was speeding and that Campbell was in the crosswalk when she was hit and thrown into the air. Manes said the rider stopped, looked at Campbell and then kept going.
News 12 reported surveillance video showing Campbell being hit and the motorcyclist continuing east on East 225th Street. A witness told News 12, "We tried to stop him, but he didn’t stop. He was coming too fast."
Police continued searching for the motorcyclist
Police described the person they were seeking as a man in his 30s on a gray, red and white motorcycle, and News 12 later reported police identified him as a 31-year-old man riding a 2012 Yamaha YZF-R1. News 12 reported on July 1 that police had not announced charges while the investigation continued.
Campbell’s relatives publicly called for the driver to come forward. CBS quoted Sherice Thomas saying she hoped the person responsible would "do the right thing."