Driver charged after Christmas Eve crash kills Queens woman
Police said Paul Lee hit the SUV Toliza Hong was driving near Utopia Parkway and Peck Avenue on Christmas Eve, killing the 72-year-old driver in a crash officially linked to unsafe speed.
What We Know
On Christmas Eve 2023, police said 20-year-old Paul Lee hit the SUV Toliza Hong was driving near Peck Avenue and Utopia Parkway in Queens, causing the SUV to overturn. The official crash record places the crash at 1:15 p.m. and lists one person killed and two people injured. Hong, a 72-year-old driver, was killed. The official record lists unsafe speed as a contributing factor, and CBS New York reported that Lee later faced charges of criminally negligent homicide, reckless driving, and exceeding the speed limit.
Police said a driver hit Hong's SUV on Christmas Eve
The crash happened at about 1:15 p.m. on Dec. 24, 2023, near Utopia Parkway and Peck Avenue in Queens. CBS New York reported that police said Paul Lee, 20, hit the SUV Toliza Hong was driving, causing it to overturn.
The official record lists Hong as a 72-year-old driver who was killed. It also lists two motorists injured in the crash.
Lee later faced homicide and reckless-driving charges
CBS New York reported that police arrested Paul Lee after the crash and that he faced charges of criminally negligent homicide, reckless driving, and exceeding the speed limit.
Utopia Parkway has seen repeated harm since 2022
The crash happened at Utopia Parkway and Peck Avenue in Queens. CrashCountNYC location data for Utopia Parkway in Queens shows 400 crashes, 278 injuries, 20 serious injuries, and 3 deaths from the start of 2022 through June 1, 2026.