Driver turning left hits family in Harlem crosswalk, killing child
At 7:40 p.m. on July 11, 2024, a 40-year-old driver turning left at Lenox Avenue and West 135th Street hit a family crossing with the signal, killing 3-year-old Jaynelyse Valdez.
What We Know
On July 11, 2024, a driver turning left at Lenox Avenue and West 135th Street hit a mother and three children in a marked crosswalk. Police told reporters the driver, a 40-year-old man in a 2020 Nissan Pathfinder, had a green light to turn, while the family had the walk signal. Three-year-old Jaynelyse Valdez was taken to Harlem Hospital and pronounced dead. Official records counted three other pedestrians injured. Police reported no immediate arrests; CBS New York reported the driver was questioned and would not be charged.
A left turn into a crosswalk
The official crash record places the collision at Lenox Avenue and West 135th Street in Manhattan at 7:40 p.m. on July 11, 2024, with one pedestrian killed and three pedestrians injured.
Police told reporters that a 40-year-old man driving a 2020 Nissan Pathfinder was traveling south on Lenox Avenue and turning left onto eastbound West 135th Street when he hit four pedestrians in the marked crosswalk. Police said the driver had a green light to turn, while the family had the crossing signal in their favor.
A 3-year-old girl died and her family was hurt
Police identified the child who died as Jaynelyse Valdez, 3, of New Rochelle. The official record lists the fatal pedestrian as a 3-year-old girl who was crossing with the signal at the intersection.
News 12 reported that officers found Jaynelyse unconscious and unresponsive with head and body injuries. The outlet reported that a 37-year-old woman, a 2-year-old boy and a 4-month-old boy were also taken to Harlem Hospital with minor injuries and were stable. CBS New York reported that the 4-month-old was not hurt.
The crash happened on a Lenox Avenue corridor with repeated harm
The crash happened at Lenox Avenue and West 135th Street in Manhattan, outside Harlem Hospital.
CrashCountNYC location data for Lenox Avenue in Manhattan shows 943 crashes, 523 injuries, 39 serious injuries and 3 deaths from 2022 through June 1, 2026.
Police reported no immediate arrests
Gothamist and News 12 reported that police made no immediate arrests after the crash. CBS New York reported that the driver was questioned and would not be charged.
After the crash, reporters found grief in New Rochelle, where police said Jaynelyse lived. “No parent should have to bury their children,” New Rochelle resident Richard Penn told News 12.