Driver Charged in Coney Island Crash That Killed Tamika Richards
As Tamika Richards crossed Mermaid Avenue with the signal, police said a driver in a red pickup hit her and her teenage son in Coney Island and left; NYPD officials later said Mitchell Maldonado was arrested in the fatal hit-and-run.
What We Know
Tamika Richards, 41, was crossing Mermaid Avenue at West 24th Street with her 18-year-old son around 8:50 p.m. on March 3, 2023, when police said a driver in a red pickup hit them and continued west. City crash data recorded Richards as a pedestrian crossing with the signal and listed driver inattention or distraction for the pickup driver. Relatives told the Daily News that Richards moved in front of her son and yelled for the driver to stop. EMS took Richards to Coney Island Hospital, where she died; her son was taken to NYU Langone Hospital Brooklyn in stable condition. In November 2024, NYPD officials said Mitchell Maldonado, 33, of Burlington, Vermont, was arrested on charges including leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and failure to yield to a pedestrian.
Police said a driver left after hitting two people in the crosswalk
The crash happened at about 8:50 p.m. on March 3, 2023, as Tamika Richards, 41, and her 18-year-old son crossed Mermaid Avenue at West 24th Street. Police told news outlets that a driver in a red pickup hit them in the intersection and continued west on Mermaid Avenue.
The city crash record listed Richards as a pedestrian crossing with the signal. EMS took her to Coney Island Hospital, where authorities pronounced her dead, and took the injured 18-year-old to NYU Langone Hospital Brooklyn.
Richards' family described a last act of protection
Richards was a mother of six. Relatives and a family friend told the Daily News that she moved in front of her son as the driver approached; Zemaya Williams said, “When she saw the truck coming, she positioned herself in front of him to protect him.”
The Amsterdam News reported that Richards was the oldest of eight siblings and a grandmother. Her sister Shaquana Folks told the paper, “My sister's not coming back, and I'm completely broken.”
Investigators cited inattention and later filed charges
The city crash record listed driver inattention or distraction as the contributing factor for the pickup driver.
In November 2024, NYPD officials told the Daily News that Mitchell Maldonado, 33, was arrested in the case. The reported charges included leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and failure to yield to a pedestrian.
Mermaid Avenue has seen repeated crashes since 2022
The crash happened at Mermaid Avenue and West 24th Street in Coney Island, Brooklyn.
CrashCountNYC's street-level review of Mermaid Avenue in Brooklyn found 278 crashes, 140 injuries, six serious injuries and one death from the start of 2022 through June 1, 2026.