Brooklyn Hit-and-Run Crash Kills Two: A Tragic Reminder of the Urgent Need for Street Safety Reforms

From the perspective of our Brooklyn Car Accident Lawyers

Two men are dead and a young driver is facing manslaughter charges after a brutal hit-and-run crash in Sunset Park early Friday morning. The victims, 80-year-old Kex Un Chen and 59-year-old Faqiu Lin, were crossing Third Avenue at 52nd Street when they were struck by a speeding BMW allegedly driven by 23-year-old Juventino Anastacio Florentino.

Florentino fled the scene, leaving behind twisted car parts, debris, and human remains at the crash site. He was arrested later that day at his Staten Island home, where police found the front end of his BMW soaked in blood and body matter. He is now facing multiple charges, including manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, reckless driving, and leaving the scene of a fatal crash.

As Brooklyn car accident attorneys, we are devastated — yet unsurprised — by another preventable loss of life on one of the borough’s deadliest corridors. Third Avenue, especially the stretch beneath the Gowanus Expressway, has long been flagged by community advocates as unsafe for pedestrians. According to Transportation Alternatives, at least 80 people have been killed or seriously injured on this same section since 2018.

This wasn’t a freak accident — it was a foreseeable and preventable disaster. Prosecutors allege that Florentino ran a red light at high speed and admitted to drinking multiple beers earlier in the night. Surveillance video reportedly shows the victims attempting to cross the street just as the signal changed in their favor. They had shopping carts and a cane, making them especially vulnerable. The force of the impact threw both men high into the air.

While Florentino’s blood alcohol content was below the legal limit, his own words — “It’s my fault. After I hit them, I came home” — speak volumes. He chose to flee the scene instead of calling 911. He left two men dying in the street.

We urge the families of crash victims to speak with an attorney as soon as possible. In cases involving city infrastructure, hit-and-run investigations, or potentially intoxicated drivers, time is critical. In New York, you have only 90 days to file a Notice of Claim if a government agency may share responsibility for dangerous road conditions or delayed safety improvements.

The city has already admitted that safety upgrades for Third Avenue have been delayed until 2026 — years after residents first demanded changes. These victims deserved better. Their deaths demand accountability not just from the driver, but from every agency that failed to prioritize pedestrian safety on one of Brooklyn’s most dangerous roads.

If you or a loved one has been harmed in a pedestrian crash or hit-and-run, contact our Brooklyn car accident attorneys at Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf. With more than 100 years of experience and some of New York’s top trial lawyers, we are committed to holding negligent drivers and public agencies accountable.