Painter Dies After Bridge Fall Onto Van Wyck Expressway
Painter Jeremy Rozan, 34, died after police said he fell from the Roosevelt Avenue Bridge onto the Van Wyck Expressway, where a 46-year-old driver in a northbound 2012 Nissan was involved in the 10:21 a.m. crash.
What We Know
Painter Jeremy Rozan, 34, was working on the Roosevelt Avenue Bridge when police said he fell from a construction structure onto the Van Wyck Expressway below. The city crash record lists one pedestrian killed at 10:21 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2022, and records a northbound sedan. Press accounts identify the vehicle as a 2012 Nissan Altima and say the 46-year-old driver remained at the scene. The articles differ on the impact description: QNS reported Rozan landed in a northbound lane and was struck, while the Post reported authorities said Rozan hit the side of the Nissan and was thrown into the left lane.
Bridge work preceded the fatal encounter on the expressway
Police accounts cited by the Post and QNS said Jeremy Rozan, a 34-year-old Staten Island painter or construction worker, was painting support beams on the Roosevelt Avenue Bridge on Nov. 1, 2022, when he fell from a construction structure to the Van Wyck Expressway below.
The city crash record lists one pedestrian killed on the Van Wyck Expressway at 10:21 a.m. and records a northbound sedan. The articles identify the sedan as a 2012 Nissan Altima with a 46-year-old driver.
Reports differed on the moment of impact
QNS reported that Rozan landed in a northbound lane and was struck by the driver in the Nissan. The Post reported a different police description: Rozan hit the side of the northbound Nissan and was thrown forward into the left lane.
On the Van Wyck below the Roosevelt Avenue Bridge
The city record places the fatal crash on the Van Wyck Expressway in Queens. Press accounts place Rozan’s worksite above the expressway on the Roosevelt Avenue Bridge in Flushing, and QNS described that bridge as spanning the Flushing River.
Hospital care, injuries, and the investigation
First responders found Rozan with severe head and body trauma, and he was later pronounced dead at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Queens, according to the articles.
Both articles reported that the driver remained at the scene and that he and two passengers were taken to the same hospital with minor injuries. The city crash record, however, recorded no injuries besides the pedestrian death.
QNS reported no arrests, and both articles said the NYPD Highway Collision Investigation Squad was investigating.
The city record assigned a pedestrian factor
The city crash record lists “Pedestrian/Bicyclist/Other Pedestrian Error/Confusion” as a contributing factor and records Rozan as a pedestrian away from an intersection. The press accounts add the worksite context, reporting that police said he fell from the bridge structure before the roadway impact.