A pre-dawn crash on a busy Rosedale corridor left a Richmond Hill native dead early Saturday, after police say his gray SUV slammed into a tree along South Conduit Avenue.
According to the NYPD, the driver lost control of his 2020 gray Honda Pilot while heading eastbound on South Conduit near 247th Street around 1:20 a.m. The SUV struck a tree, closing lanes and drawing officers and EMS to the scene. The victim was rushed to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.
As reported by QNS, police identified the driver as 52-year-old Shapiro Lecorps, a Richmond Hill native who listed an Elm Street address in Malverne.
Crash-Prone Corridor and Rising Toll
South Conduit is a familiar trouble spot in southeastern Queens, part of a high-speed corridor that has seen a string of serious wrecks in recent years. Statistical data from CrashCount shows Queens recorded 28 traffic deaths and 5,685 injuries through June 11, 2026, underscoring a rising road toll that safety advocates say is anything but abstract.
Local residents and street-safety groups have repeatedly pressed the city to focus on spots where fast-moving arterials meet neighborhood streets, calling for redesigns and lower speed limits before more late-night crashes turn fatal.
Investigation Still Active
The NYPD Highway District Collision Investigation Squad is continuing to piece together the SUV’s path and what led up to the impact, the department told QNS. Detectives plan to review any available surveillance footage or cellphone video and are asking anyone who witnessed the crash to contact the 116th Precinct or the Highway District.
The investigation remains active, and police have not released additional details about what, if any, factors contributed to the wreck.
