Brooklyn DA’s Office Reviewing Mathieu Lefevre Hit-and-Run

The office of Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes will conduct a review into the death of cyclist Mathieu Lefevre, according to the borough’s top prosecutor for vehicular crimes.

Craig Esswein, chief of the vehicular crimes bureau, told Streetsblog that reviewing deadly traffic crashes is standard procedure. “Any time there’s a fatality the NYPD does their investigation, and we do our own.”

Lefevre’s death at the hands of a hit-and-run truck driver in Williamsburg last October has made headlines, owing to revelations that NYPD withheld details of the crash from the victim’s family and failed to gather evidence at the scene. Asked about NYPD’s handling of the investigation, Esswein said, “We will be looking into the matter.”

Though no photos of the scene have been released to the Lefevre family — police reportedly didn’t take pictures due to a broken camera — Esswein says they do exist. He says those pictures will be examined along with video of the collision, which according to NYPD records shows that the truck driver dragged Lefevre and his bike for several yards as he made an unsignaled right-hand turn. “We’re going to review it all,” said Esswein.

In a statement issued this week, Mathieu’s mother Erika Lefevre revealed that NYPD has charged the driver, identified by police as Leonardo Degianni, for failure to signal and failure to exercise due care. To date, no charges have been issued for the victim’s death, or for leaving the scene of a fatal crash. “We urge the Kings County District Attorney’s Office to carefully review this case,” wrote Lefevre, “and bring appropriate charges.”

Lefevre’s family and friends have launched a letter-writing campaign to Hynes’ office asking for a careful review of the case. More information is available here.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

After NYPD Blamed the Victim, Brooklyn DA Will Reconstruct Lefevre Crash

|
Months after NYPD blamed cyclist Mathieu Lefevre for his own death, prosecutors with the office of Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes continue their investigation into the crash. Meanwhile, the Department of Motor Vehicles has suspended the license of the truck driver who police say fatally struck Lefevre, then left the scene. Hynes’s office has retained […]

NYPD Reportedly Lost Evidence Related to Crash That Killed Mathieu Lefevre

|
The attorney representing the family of Mathieu Lefevre has sent a letter to NYPD that raises serious questions about the investigation of the hit-and-run crash that took the 30-year-old artist’s life. The five-page letter from attorney Steve Vaccaro indicates that the NYPD Accident Investigation Squad has all but concluded that crane truck driver Leonardo Degianni […]

Family of Mathieu Lefevre Sues NYPD for Withholding Crash Information

|
The family of Mathieu Lefevre has filed a lawsuit against the NYPD for refusing to release information related to the hit-and-run collision that killed the 30-year-old Brooklyn cyclist last October. According to the complaint, filed in New York State Supreme Court on December 30 [PDF], NYPD denied a freedom of information request from Lefevre’s parents seeking […]

Transportation Alternatives Launches Probe Into NYPD Crash Investigations

|
Transportation Alternatives today delivered over 2,500 citizen letters to Ray Kelly demanding that NYPD crack down on dangerous driving, and announced a comprehensive probe into how the department handles traffic crash investigations. Flanked by dozens of supporters and victims of traffic violence at 1 Police Plaza, TA executive director Paul Steely White excoriated NYPD for […]