Driver indicted after passenger killed on Henry Hudson Parkway
Prosecutors said Robert Koch drove drunk the wrong way before a head-on crash that killed Ada Rivero on the Henry Hudson Parkway, where the official record recorded two injuries.
What We Know
Ada Rivero, 65, was a rear-seat passenger in a for-hire ride on the Henry Hudson Parkway when the crash happened early on May 3, 2026. The official record lists one motorist killed and two injured, with alcohol involvement recorded as a contributing factor. Prosecutors said Robert Koch drove north in southbound lanes after leaving Times Square, narrowly avoided other drivers, and caused a head-on crash with the Uber. The Daily News reported the driver’s surname as Kock; Patch, citing prosecutors, identified him as Koch. He was indicted on homicide, manslaughter, assault, and DWI charges.
Police and prosecutors describe a wrong-way head-on crash
The official crash record places the collision on the Henry Hudson Parkway at 3:45 a.m. on May 3, 2026, and records one motorist killed and two motorists injured.
Police told the Daily News that Ada Rivero was riding in the back seat of a for-hire Toyota Highlander heading downtown when a driver in a Subaru traveled uptown against traffic and hit it head-on. Prosecutors told Patch that Robert Koch entered the southbound lanes of the West Side Highway at West 57th Street while driving north and later caused a head-on crash with an Uber. The articles place the crash near different cross streets: the Daily News reported near West 79th Street, while Patch reported near West 72nd Street.
Ada Rivero died after riding in the rear seat
The official record identifies the person killed as a 65-year-old female passenger seated in the left rear of the taxi. The Daily News and Patch identified her as Ada Rivero, 65; the Daily News reported that she lived in Midtown, and Patch reported that she died later that morning from multiple blunt-force injuries.
The Daily News reported that Rivero’s 49-year-old driver suffered minor injuries. Patch reported that FDNY crews extricated both Rivero and the Uber driver, and that all three people involved were taken to hospitals.
Official records and press accounts describe the rides differently
The official vehicle record lists a 2024 sedan traveling north and a 2020 taxi traveling south. The Daily News described the northbound-against-traffic driver as being in a Subaru and Rivero’s ride as a for-hire Toyota Highlander; Patch described Rivero’s ride as an Uber.
Alcohol allegations became homicide and DWI charges
The official record lists alcohol involvement for the crash and records alcohol involvement and traffic-control disregard for the sedan driver. Prosecutors said Koch drove while intoxicated, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced charges including aggravated vehicular homicide, second-degree manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, assault, aggravated driving while intoxicated, and driving while intoxicated.
Bragg said Koch was accused of driving the wrong way and “tragically cutting short the life of the passenger, Ada Rivero.” The Daily News earlier reported that police arrested the driver, spelling his surname Kock, and charged him with vehicular manslaughter and manslaughter.
Where
Henry Hudson Pkwy