Brooklyn nurse Jiayi Zheng killed in Sunset Park hit-and-run; driver still sought

SUNSET PARK, Brooklyn (WABC) — A Brooklyn nurse who had just finished an overnight shift was killed after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in Sunset Park, police said.

State Sen. Andrew Gounardes identified the victim as nurse Jiayi Zheng and said she was heading home when she was hit.

Police said Zheng, 28, was struck shortly before 7:40 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of 55th Street and Third Avenue. Investigators said a black Cadillac traveling southbound on Third Avenue hit her as she crossed the street. She suffered severe body trauma and was rushed to NYU Langone Hospital, where she later died.

The driver fled the scene and remained at large as of Sunday. No arrests have been announced.

NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn released a statement mourning Zheng’s death:

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Jiayi Zheng, a nurse at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn,” the statement said. “This is a tragic loss, and we extend our sincere condolences to her family, loved ones, and colleagues. Our nurses play an essential role in caring for others with compassion and dedication, and this loss is being felt across our entire community.”

One woman who did not want to be identified, was inside a deli at the corner where Zheng was struck.

“I walked outside and see the lady on the corner, I feel so bad, I can’t take it no more,” she said.

Another video captures what police say is a black Cadillac flying by southbound on the avenue. Zheng never saw it coming, and even if she did, she most likely could not react in time.

The vehicle plows into her, tossing her several feet. Customers inside the deli ran out to help the critically injured nurse.

The fatal crash has renewed calls for safety improvements along the stretch of Third Avenue that has seen multiple deadly crashes over the years. According to the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, Zheng’s death marks the 11th fatality involving a pedestrian or cyclist on the two-mile section of Third Avenue beneath the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway since 2014. The group said six pedestrians and five cyclists have been killed along the corridor during that span.

Advocates noted that another nurse at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn was killed in 2020 while biking home from an overnight shift near Third Avenue and 56th Street, just blocks from where Zheng was struck. They also pointed to a 2023 city proposal to redesign the corridor that has not yet been implemented.

In a statement, Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, called Zheng’s death “heartbreaking and outrageous” and urged the city to fast-track safety improvements.

The organization also said nine people have been killed in hit-and-run crashes across New York City in the last two weeks and noted that hundreds of advocates recently gathered outside City Hall to demand stronger action to address traffic violence.

Police have not announced any arrests, and the driver who struck Zheng remains at large. Anyone with information about the crash is urged to contact authorities.

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