Nurse's death in Brooklyn hit-and-run prompts urgent calls to redesign troubled stretch of Third Avenue
The NYPD is still searching for the hit-and-run driver who killed a nurse in Brooklyn over the weekend.
It was just after 7:30 a.m. on Saturday when police say Jiayi Zheng was crossing Third Avenue at 55th Street when she was hit by a car that did not stop. The 28-year-old nurse had just finished an overnight shift at NYU Langone-Brooklyn, a mere two blocks away. Police said that's where she was transported and later pronounced dead.
Investigators are looking for a 2014 Cadillac sedan with Pennsylvania plates in connection with the hit-and-run.
Lawmakers vow to redesign corridor of Third Avenue
Zheng's death has left a community grappling with a tragedy that many say could've been prevented. Advocates say that stretch of road is known to be dangerous for pedestrians.
"This dangerous situation has been happening way too many times," Jorge Muniz said. "Hopefully, people wake up. There has been just so much that has happened."
According to advocates, Zheng's death marks the 11th fatality of a pedestrian or cyclist along a two-mile stretch of Third Avenue since 2014. Some lawmakers are now urging the city to prioritize a redesign.
State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, who represents New York's 26th District, which includes Sunset Park, said he's pressing the city Department of Transportation to take action on a plan to redesign the corridor, which was first proposed in 2023.
"We can't wait any longer," Gounardes said. "DOT never explained to this community why they couldn't implement the plan that they had proposed. They never came back. They just ghosted us. The time for delay is over."
In the wake of the fatality, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has vowed progress on the redesign of Third Avenue, saying at an unrelated event on Monday, "We are going to be moving forward with the redesign of Third Avenue that had been stalled for quite some time."
A timeline for when the redesign details will be revealed remains unclear.