Brad Aaron
Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York's dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.
Recent Posts
Tamon Robinson, of Brooklyn, Chased and Killed by NYPD Officers in Cruiser
| | 22 Comments
The NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating the death of a Brooklyn man who the department says was run down by officers in a police cruiser. Tamon Robinson, 27, was loading paving stones into an SUV at Bayview Houses in Canarsie on the morning of April 12 when, according to accounts, he was chased by […]
Court Document Details Aftermath of Crash That Killed Victor Felix
| | No Comments
The driver who allegedly struck and killed pedestrian Victor Felix had a blood alcohol content over the legal limit for driving and showed signs of intoxication three hours after the crash, according to a court document. Felix, 57, was crossing Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard near W. 146th Street in Harlem when he was struck at […]
Inwood Cyclist Injured at Broadway and Riverside Last Evening
| | 3 Comments
A cyclist was struck and injured by a driver at the intersection of Riverside and Broadway at Dyckman Street, in Inwood, Wednesday evening. The victim, a male in his 40s, was transported to Presbyterian Hospital in the Bronx, according to FDNY (the spokesperson was presumably referring to the Allen Pavilion on Broadway at W. 220th […]
Driver Convicted in Killing of Francesca Maytin Is Behind the Wheel Again
| | 11 Comments
A driver convicted of homicide is back on the road after serving one year for killing a Manhattan pedestrian. Lynette Caban was driving with a suspended license when she struck Francesca Maytin in East Harlem on January 2, 2003, knocking the 82-year-old victim a distance of over 18 feet, according to a January 2012 press […]
Eyes on the Street: East Village Bike Corral Action
| | 6 Comments
Reader Mike Epstein sends in this shot of DOT bike corral construction on Ninth Street between First and Second Avenues in Manhattan. It’s good to see this treatment expanding. Corrals that accommodate multiple bike racks offer a much more efficient use of street space than a one-car parking spot. They make streets safer by improving […]
Cy Vance’s Office on Alleged DWI Pedestrian Death: No Comment
| | 2 Comments
As we reported yesterday, we put in a message with the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance regarding the death of Victor Felix, the 57-year-old pedestrian struck in Harlem Sunday night by alleged drunk driver Garry Kinlock. Since we learned that the assistant district attorneys who comprise Vance’s vehicular crimes unit don’t always attend […]
No Drivers Charged for Deaths and Injuries in Weekend of Carnage [Updated]
| | 4 Comments
When it comes to deadly recklessness, drivers don’t need the New York Times to tell them to “Go for it,” as Charles McGrath did in last week’s paean to the urban supercar. After a stunningly violent weekend on city streets, the indulgent motoring fantasies of McGrath and his target audience appear all the more vacuous. On […]
Is Manhattan DA Cy Vance Delivering on Traffic Justice?
| | 6 Comments
The 2009 race for Manhattan district attorney presented a rare opportunity for proponents of safer streets. After decades of indifference toward victims of vehicular violence from Robert Morgenthau, advocates succeeded in making traffic justice a prominent campaign issue for his would-be successors. Contenders for the office pledged to take definitive action to reduce the carnage […]
Eyes on the Street: An Unnecessary Takeover of the 14th Street Plaza
| | 12 Comments
In March, The Uni posted photos of a behemoth advertising installation in the pedestrian plaza on 14th Street and Ninth Avenue. Here it is as of late last week. We received reports that today it’s coming down. For a solid two weeks, most of the plaza was reserved for cosmetics samples as passersby were blasted […]
Hynes Deal: Community Service for Firefighter in Deadly Hit-and-Run
| | 19 Comments
A city firefighter who left a man to die on a Brooklyn street was sentenced to community service on Monday, the result of a plea deal with Kings County District Attorney Charles Hynes. Pat Quagliariello was reportedly texting his girlfriend and speeding when his BMW SUV struck Manuel Tzaj Guachiac in Bensonhurst in October 2010. […]
Gustavo Rivera: Albany Can Do Better Than an MTA Debt Hike
| | 4 Comments
Transit riders in the 33rd State Senate district may finally have a champion in Albany. During his campaign to unseat disgraced Fare Hike Four ringleader Pedro Espada, Gustavo Rivera didn’t have much to say on the subject of the city’s ailing transit system. But it looks like the northwest Bronx rep is finding his voice. […]
Jusheem Thorne’s Hit-and-Run Killers Have Little to Fear
| | 4 Comments
A 25-year-old man was brutally killed by two hit-and-run drivers in Crown Heights early Wednesday. According to reports, Jusheem Thorne was riding his skateboard in the crosswalk on Rochester Avenue at Eastern Parkway when he was hit by the driver of a maroon Mercury minivan racing to beat the light. As he lay injured in […]