Driver charged after bridge worker killed on Washington Bridge
City records log one pedestrian death at Washington Bridge and Amsterdam Avenue at 10:22 p.m. on Aug. 2, 2024; police later charged Jesus Juarez in the death of construction worker Herb Henry Alesna.
What We Know
Herb Henry Alesna, 41, was working on the Washington Bridge in Manhattan on the night of Aug. 2, 2024, when police said Jesus Juarez changed lanes while driving a Dodge Durango, collided with a Toyota Highlander, then hit a parked construction truck and Alesna. City crash data records one pedestrian death at Washington Bridge and Amsterdam Avenue at 10:22 p.m. News accounts cite police times around 10:20 to 10:30 p.m. Juarez and the Toyota driver remained at the scene and were not injured, according to police accounts. More than a year later, Juarez turned himself in and was charged with reckless driving, failing to yield to a pedestrian and failing to exercise due care.
A lane change during bridge repairs
City crash data records a fatal pedestrian crash at Washington Bridge and Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan at 10:22 p.m. on Aug. 2, 2024. The person killed was a 41-year-old man recorded as a pedestrian away from an intersection.
Police said Herb Henry Alesna was repairing the bridge when Jesus Juarez, driving a 2018 Dodge Durango, changed lanes, collided with a 2015 Toyota Highlander, and then hit a parked 2010 International construction truck and Alesna. News accounts reported slightly different police times, ranging from about 10:20 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
The bridge sits on a heavily traveled corridor
The crash was recorded at Washington Bridge and Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan. News accounts describe the Washington Bridge as the span connecting Upper Manhattan and the Bronx over the Harlem River.
CrashCountNYC location context for Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan counted 2,226 crashes, 1,161 injuries, 86 serious injuries and 7 deaths from 2022 through June 1, 2026.
Alesna was pronounced dead at the scene
Police accounts identified Alesna as a construction worker and Maspeth, Queens, resident. Responding officers found him on the roadway with trauma to his body, and EMS pronounced him dead at the scene.
Juarez and the Toyota driver remained at the scene and were not injured, according to police accounts. Gothamist reported that police made no arrest at the time of the crash.
Charges followed a yearlong investigation
Police said Juarez turned himself in on Dec. 9, 2025, after an NYPD Collision Investigation Squad inquiry. He was charged with reckless driving, failing to yield to a pedestrian and failing to exercise due care.
The New York Post reported that Juarez pleaded not guilty, and Gothamist reported that a judge granted supervised release pending a later court date. His lawyer, Julie Rendelman, told Gothamist, "It was a tragic accident, and he remained at the scene."
His family described the loss
The Daily News reported that Alesna left behind a wife and infant child. His widow, Eva Gyerko, told the paper, "He was my person. He was my soulmate."