After Medical Episode, Driver Kills Woman on Co-op City Bench
A 55-year-old driver in a 2018 Mazda CX5 lost consciousness or suffered an apparent medical episode at Co-Op City Boulevard and Bartow Avenue, where police said he hit a bench and killed Ramonita Colon, 72.
What We Know
At about 1:31 p.m. on April 21, 2026, police said a 55-year-old man driving a 2018 Mazda CX5 north on Co-Op City Boulevard had an apparent medical episode, drove onto the sidewalk at Bartow Avenue, and hit a bench where Ramonita Colon, 72, and an adult man were seated. Colon was pinned beneath the Mazda and pronounced dead at the scene, according to police accounts cited by the Daily News and Norwood News. The official crash record lists one pedestrian killed, one pedestrian injured, and two motorists injured, with lost consciousness as the contributing factor. Press accounts said medics took the injured man and the driver to Jacobi, and police said no arrests had been made while the Collision Investigation Squad continued investigating.
Police said the driver left the roadway after a medical episode
At 1:31 p.m. Tuesday, April 21, 2026, the official record places the fatal crash at Co-Op City Boulevard and Bartow Avenue. Police told reporters that a 55-year-old man driving a 2018 Mazda CX5 was headed north on Co-Op City Boulevard when he suffered an apparent medical episode, drove onto the sidewalk and hit a bench where two people were seated.
NBC New York’s account differed on the travel street, saying the driver was northbound on Bartow Avenue. The official record, the Daily News and Norwood News identify northbound travel on Co-Op City Boulevard.
The crash happened on a Bartow Avenue corridor with repeated injuries
The fatal crash happened at Co-Op City Boulevard and Bartow Avenue in the Bronx. CrashCountNYC’s location context identifies Bartow Avenue in the Bronx as a corridor with 290 crashes, 187 injuries, 15 serious injuries and one death from 2022 through June 1, 2026.
That recent record shows this was a fatal crash on a street with a broader pattern of injury crashes.
Ramonita Colon was seated on the bench
Police identified the woman killed as Ramonita Colon, 72, of the Bronx. The Daily News reported that she lived in Wakefield, more than three miles from where she was killed.
Press accounts identify the second person on the bench as an adult man who was taken to Jacobi Medical Center. News organizations reported different ages for him, so this page identifies him only as an adult man.
The official record counted three people injured: one pedestrian and two motorists. The Daily News, Norwood News, CBS New York and News 12 reported that the driver was also taken to a hospital.
Investigators cited lost consciousness and kept the case open
The official crash record lists lost consciousness as the contributing factor for the driver. Police statements published by multiple outlets described an apparent medical episode.
Norwood News, CBS New York and News 12 reported that police had made no arrests and that the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad continued investigating.
Neighbors described a chaotic scene
CBS New York reported that witnesses heard a loud impact and rushed over to help. One witness said, “It wasn't a pretty sight to see,” and another Bronx resident said, “Her walker is over there, so she couldn't even get out of the way. It's very sad.”
News 12 quoted a person at the scene saying, “We are grieving, sir, we are grieving,” and reported that the area remained under investigation after first responders arrived.