Overview
- A 28-year-old NYU Langone nurse, Jiayi Zheng, was struck and killed while crossing Third Avenue at 55th Street, and police say the collision happened on Saturday, Aug. 29, as she walked home from a night shift.
- The NYPD is investigating a hit-and-run and is searching for a 2014 Cadillac sedan reported to have Pennsylvania plates; no arrests have been made and authorities are urging anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers.
- Surveillance video captured the impact and the last known images of Zheng before she was taken to the hospital where she worked and was later pronounced dead.
- Local lawmakers and street-safety groups are demanding that the city Department of Transportation implement a 2023 redesign for the two-mile Third Avenue corridor beneath the BQE, and Mayor Mamdani has said the administration will advance the plan though exact timelines remain unspecified.
- Advocates note that 11 pedestrians and cyclists have died on that stretch since 2014 and point to a recent surge in hit-and-run fatalities plus low historical NYPD clearance rates as reasons the community is pushing for immediate, concrete safety steps.