Driver dies after NYPD pursuit ends in Inwood fire
Francisco Andres Guzman Parra was killed at 4:57 a.m. on April 2 on Dyckman Street, and news reports said two NYPD officers pursued him before allegedly leaving without reporting the fiery crash.
What We Know
Francisco Andres Guzman Parra, 31, was driving a 2025 Honda CRV south on the Henry Hudson Parkway early April 2 when NYPD officers from the 50th Precinct pursued him, according to news reports. After he exited at Dyckman Street in Inwood, he crashed near a building and a fire followed. The city crash record lists one motorist killed and unsafe speed as a factor. Reports said the officers returned to their Bronx precinct without reporting the crash or calling for help; the NYPD suspended them while its Force Investigation Division and the state attorney general reviewed the case. The police union said the officers lost sight of the Honda and did not know he had crashed, while a family attorney said their investigation had not corroborated that claim.
A pursuit from the Bronx ended at Dyckman Street
The city crash record says one motorist was killed at 4:57 a.m. on April 2 on Dyckman Street at the Henry Hudson Parkway and lists unsafe speed as a contributing factor. News reports said two 50th Precinct officers pursued the driver of a 2025 Honda CRV south on the parkway before he exited at Dyckman Street in Inwood, crashed near a building and a fire followed.
CBS New York reported that FDNY later responded to a report of a car fire and found the driver dead after firefighters extinguished the flames. The New York Times reported that emergency medical workers pronounced him dead at the scene.
The crash happened at the Inwood parkway exit
The fatal crash was reported on Dyckman Street by the Henry Hudson Parkway exit in Inwood. The Daily News described the site as just off the exit on the edge of Inwood Hill Park, while News 12 reported that Guzman Parra collided with a Parks Department building before the Honda burned.
The driver was identified days later
The New York Times reported that the medical examiner identified the driver as Francisco Guzman Parra on April 9 after his family provided dental records. The medical examiner determined that he died from blunt impact injuries to the head and torso and thermal injuries, and ruled his death an accident.
His family publicly pressed for answers. At a later viewing of surveillance video reported by CBS New York, stepmother Carmen Colon said, "They could've helped get him out, get him assistance."
Officers were suspended as investigators reviewed their actions
News outlets reported that the two officers returned to their Bronx precinct without reporting the crash. ABC7 quoted the NYPD as saying its Force Investigation Division and the attorney general's office were reviewing the incident and that the officers had been suspended pending that review.
CBS New York later reported a disagreement over what the officers knew. Patrick Hendry, head of the Police Benevolent Association, told The New York Times the officers lost sight of the Honda and did not know it crashed; Jeremy Feigenbaum, an attorney for the Guzman family, said the family's investigation had not corroborated that claim.
Speed, a reported stolen Honda and pursuit rules shaped the case
The city crash record lists unsafe speed for the southbound Honda SUV, and police told CBS New York that Guzman Parra was speeding. Several outlets reported that officers were pursuing a Honda CRV that had been reported stolen.
The crash came shortly after the NYPD changed its pursuit policy. The New York Times reported that the policy barred high-speed chases for traffic laws and low-level offenses but still allowed pursuits when officers believed a felony, including a stolen vehicle, had occurred.