Driver Charged After Two Pedestrians Killed in Sunset Park
At 4:22 a.m. on July 11, 2025, two pedestrians crossing with the signal at Third Avenue and 52nd Street were killed, and police later charged Juventino Anastacio Florentino in the hit-and-run.
What We Know
Police said Juventino Anastacio Florentino drove a BMW south on Third Avenue before he hit two pedestrians at 52nd Street and left the scene. The official record says two male pedestrians, ages 80 and 59, were killed at 4:22 a.m. while crossing with the signal, and it lists traffic control disregarded and unsafe speed for the sedan. News reports identified the men as Kex Un Chen and Faqiu Lin and said Florentino was arrested later in Staten Island and charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene, reckless driving and related offenses.
Two pedestrians were killed before dawn
The official crash record says two male pedestrians, ages 80 and 59, were killed at Third Avenue and 52nd Street in Brooklyn at 4:22 a.m. on July 11, 2025. The record lists both pedestrians as crossing with the signal at the intersection.
Police and news outlets identified the men as Kex Un Chen, 80, and Faqiu Lin, 59. Police said the driver in a BMW was traveling south on Third Avenue, hit the men and left the scene; emergency workers pronounced both men dead there.
The men were named as Kex Un Chen and Faqiu Lin
Chen's son, Qin Xiao Chen, told the Daily News his father had immigrated from Fujian, China in 2016 and lived with family in Brooklyn. "We're very heartbroken," he said. "He was selfless."
ABC7 reported that City Harvest said the men may have been headed to its Mobile Market. "Our thoughts are with their families and loved ones," City Harvest said in a statement.
Police alleged red-light running and speed
The official record lists traffic control disregarded as a contributing factor for the crash and lists traffic control disregarded and unsafe speed for the 2011 BMW sedan. Police said Florentino drove through a red light, and news reports said he was charged with offenses that included manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene, reckless driving and red-light or speed-related counts.
The signal evidence is not fully consistent across sources. The official person records say both pedestrians were crossing with the signal, and CBS New York reported that surveillance video showed the crosswalk sign giving them the right of way. Streetsblog reported that surveillance footage showed Chen and Lin walking in the crosswalk against the light before it changed as they reached the middle of the street.
Police arrested the driver in Staten Island
ABC7 reported that police tracked a 2011 BMW 3 Series sedan near Florentino's Staten Island home using surveillance video and pieces left at the scene. The Daily News reported that a judge ordered Florentino held on $100,000 bail at arraignment.
Prosecutors said officers smelled alcohol on Florentino's breath when he was taken into custody and that a breath test showed a blood alcohol content of 0.06 percent, below the legal limit. The Daily News reported that his attorney noted he was not facing drunk-driving charges.
Third Avenue has a long crash record
The crash happened at Third Avenue and 52nd Street in Sunset Park, under the Gowanus Expressway, according to police accounts cited by news outlets.
CrashCountNYC's corridor context for 3rd Avenue in Brooklyn records 2,163 crashes, 1,457 injuries, 82 serious injuries and 10 deaths since 2022. After Chen and Lin were killed, local officials and advocates renewed calls for Third Avenue safety upgrades intended to slow traffic.