Driver fleeing police fatally injures passenger in Bushwick crash
At Central Avenue and Gates Avenue in Brooklyn, Juan Lopez drove through a red light while fleeing police and collided with a Honda Pilot, prosecutors said, and back-seat passenger Micah Dukes later died.
What We Know
At Central Avenue and Gates Avenue in Bushwick, the city record lists a fatal two-vehicle crash involving a westbound sedan and a southbound SUV. Prosecutors said Juan Lopez fled police after officers tried to stop him for speeding, drove through a red light and collided head-on with a Honda Pilot whose driver had the green light. Micah Dukes, 29, was riding in the back seat and was ejected; prosecutors said she died June 8 after severe head, chest and internal injuries. Lopez later pleaded guilty to manslaughter, unlawful fleeing of a police officer in a motor vehicle and leaving the scene without reporting.
Police pursuit ended at a red light in Bushwick
The city crash record lists the collision at Central Avenue and Gates Avenue at 6:28 a.m. on May 26, 2024, involving a westbound 2018 Mercedes sedan and a southbound 2005 Honda SUV. Prosecutors later said Lopez was heading west on Gates Avenue after police tried to stop him for speeding near Gates and Wilson avenues, where he was driving about 75 mph.
Prosecutors said Lopez went through a red light and collided head-on with a Honda Pilot whose driver had the green light as she traveled south on Central Avenue. A New York Post witness account said a police car was following before the impact.
After the collision, prosecutors said, Lopez lost control, went onto the sidewalk, tried to flee on foot, and officers arrested him.
Micah Dukes was pursuing a health career
Micah Dukes, 29, was riding in the back seat of the Honda Pilot. The official person record identifies the fatal victim as a 29-year-old female passenger seated in the right rear; prosecutors identified her as Dukes and said she was ejected.
Prosecutors said medics took Dukes to Elmhurst Hospital Center in critical condition before her transfer to NYU Langone Medical Center, where she died on June 8, 2024. They described skull and facial fractures, brain bleeding, a punctured lung, internal bleeding, liver damage and body trauma.
Dukes lived in Albany and graduated from Hudson Valley Community College in May 2023 with a community health degree. In a college video quoted by Manhattan Daily, she said, "I knew that I wanted to work to help people."
Injury accounts do not fully align
The official crash record counts four injured motorists and one killed motorist. Manhattan Daily later reported, citing police, that the 34-year-old Honda driver, a 31-year-old front passenger and a 30-year-old back-seat passenger were not hurt; the New York Post reported Lopez was hospitalized in stable condition.
Lopez pleaded guilty after prosecutors described speeding, flight and alcohol
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said Lopez pleaded guilty to manslaughter, unlawful fleeing of a police officer in a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of an accident without reporting. Prosecutors said he admitted to officers that he had consumed alcohol before driving.
The official vehicle record lists Traffic Control Disregarded for the sedan driver. Prosecutors said Lopez drove through the red light during the police flight.
A prison sentence was expected after the plea
After the guilty plea, prosecutors said Lopez faced four to 12 years in prison, with sentencing expected in September.
Gates Avenue has seen repeated crash harm since 2022
The collision happened at Central Avenue and Gates Avenue in Brooklyn, on the Gates Avenue corridor.
CrashCountNYC location context for Gates Avenue in Brooklyn counts 748 crashes, 422 injuries, 26 serious injuries and 2 deaths from Jan. 1, 2022, through June 1, 2026.