Early Saturday morning, a fatal incident occurred in Manhattan's Chinatown when a Chevy Malibu struck and killed two people near Canal Street and Bowery. The Gothamist reported that a man on a bike and a woman on the sidewalk were pronounced dead at the scene following the crash around 7:30 a.m.
The car, which was exiting the Manhattan Bridge, not only hit the victims but also caused substantial damage to a parked NYPD auxiliary van. According to the NYPD, no officers were injured as a result of the accident. Police have taken two women in their 20s, believed to be the driver and passenger of the Malibu, into custody after they initially tried to flee the scene on foot. As of Saturday afternoon, the NYPD had not filed charges, Gothamist reported.
NBC New York provided additional details, describing the aftermath of the collision. A witness told NBC New York, "They were going at least 70 [mph], whipping off the bridge," and that after coming off the bridge, the driver "hit these two people, clipped them." The crash left a disquieting scene with a downed tree, displaced bench, and shoes strewn across the road.
Community concerns have been raised in the wake of the tragedy. Karlin Chan, a local resident, emphasized the need for safety improvements in the area. "They got to put up Jersey barriers or some kind of a permanent barrier there to keep people safe," Chan said. The incident is particularly poignant, coming shortly after the city's Department of Transportation had announced a record low of 87 traffic fatalities for the first half of 2025, a statistic that has now been marred by this devastating event, according to the Gothamist.
The identity of the two victims has not yet been released by authorities. Meanwhile, the community reels from the shock of the collision that cut short the lives of two of its members and leaves behind a wake of unanswered questions about safety and accountability on the city's streets.
