Driver Charged After Man Killed on Major Deegan Expressway
Police said Robert Blakney, an unlicensed driver, hit a 62-year-old pedestrian in a Chevrolet Suburban on the Major Deegan Expressway at about 5 a.m.; the official record lists one pedestrian killed and one motorist injured.
What We Know
At about 5 a.m. on Feb. 6, 2026, a driver in a Chevrolet Suburban hit a 62-year-old man on the southbound Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx. News outlets, citing police, identified the driver as 47-year-old Robert Blakney and reported that EMS pronounced the man dead at the scene. Blakney was taken to Montefiore Medical Center with minor injuries, and police charged him with aggravated unlicensed operation after learning he did not have a valid license. The official record lists driver inexperience as a contributing factor and describes the pedestrian as away from an intersection and walking along the highway against traffic; the Daily News, citing officials, said the man was trying to cross the southbound lanes.
A fatal predawn crash on the expressway
The official record places the crash at about 5 a.m. on Feb. 6, 2026, on the Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx. It lists one pedestrian killed and one motorist injured.
Police said Robert Blakney was driving a Chevy Suburban southbound when he hit the man. News12 reported that Blakney remained at the scene, and EMS pronounced the victim dead there.
Near East 233rd Street in Woodlawn
The Daily News reported that the crash happened near East 233rd Street in Woodlawn, where the Major Deegan Expressway runs through Van Cortlandt Park. The official record locates the crash on the Major Deegan Expressway at latitude 40.898537 and longitude -73.87957.
CBS New York and the Daily News reported that southbound lanes were shut down while police investigated, with the Daily News describing a closure that lasted several hours.
The people identified in the records and reports
The official record identifies the person killed as a 62-year-old male pedestrian. His name was not released in the reviewed reports.
News reports identified the driver as Robert Blakney, 47. The Daily News reported that Blakney lives in Elmsford and was taken to Montefiore Medical Center with minor injuries.
License status, charge, and cited factors
Police charged Blakney with aggravated unlicensed operation after authorities learned he did not have a valid driver’s license, according to the Daily News and News12. The official vehicle record also lists the driver’s license status as unlicensed.
The official crash record lists driver inexperience as a contributing factor. It also describes the pedestrian as away from an intersection and walking along the highway against traffic; the Daily News, citing officials, reported that the man was trying to cross the southbound lanes.