A 19-year-old driver has been arrested and charged after police say he slammed into an MTA police vehicle stopped at a red light in Sunset Park Tuesday night, spinning the patrol car into a structural pillar and sending officers and a passenger to the hospital. Ethan Oyola now faces reckless endangerment, reckless driving, and multiple traffic offenses in connection with the crash near 53rd Street and Third Avenue.
According to News 12 Brooklyn, an MTA statement described the sequence of events: officers inside the patrol vehicle were preparing to stop at the red light when Oyola's speeding car struck them from behind, causing the cruiser to spin and slam into a nearby structural pillar. Both vehicles sustained heavy damage and had to be towed from the scene. The update marks a shift from the initial report by News12 New York, which had said no arrests had been made in the immediate aftermath of the four-vehicle collision.
Two MTA police officers, Oyola, and a passenger in his vehicle were evaluated and transported with minor injuries, per the same account. Two additional people at the scene refused medical transport, according to police. All four injured parties were taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, a Level 1 Trauma Center located just two blocks from the crash site at 55th Street and Second Avenue, according to Patch. The hospital, which treats over 1,500 trauma patients annually, keeps critical care surgeons on site around the clock.
Why MTA Police Were Patrolling a City Street
The presence of MTA officers on a Brooklyn arterial road might raise questions for some residents, but it fits within the department's regular duties. The MTA Police Department is a statewide transit law enforcement agency, and its Highway and Bridge Safety Unit routinely patrols roadways and infrastructure surrounding MTA bridges, tunnels, and elevated structures — including the Gowanus Expressway, which runs directly above Third Avenue, as reported by The Chief. MTA officers hold full state police powers under New York law, which allowed them to be stationed at the intersection when the crash occurred.
The crash falls within the jurisdiction of the NYPD's 72nd Precinct, headquartered at 830 Fourth Avenue in Sunset Park, which covers both Sunset Park and Windsor Terrace and would be responsible for the official crash report.
A Dangerous Stretch of Third Avenue
This is not the first serious crash at 53rd Street and Third Avenue. In October 2024, a motor vehicle struck and killed a scooter driver at the same intersection, according to Gersowitz Libo & Korek P.C., which noted that micromobility collisions have risen sharply across New York City in recent years. Hoodline previously reported on a fatal moped crash nearby in June 2025.
Third Avenue runs directly beneath the elevated Gowanus Expressway and is widely recognized by community advocates and local officials as a high-crash commercial truck corridor prone to speeding and double parking, as detailed by Streetsblog NYC. Local residents have organized against expanding commercial truck routes along parallel avenues without accompanying safety upgrades.
The New York City Department of Transportation proposed a major safety overhaul in late 2023 covering more than 40 blocks of Third Avenue between Prospect Avenue and 62nd Street, including road diets and protected bike infrastructure. But community leaders said in May 2026 that full implementation of those improvements has stalled, according to Streetsblog NYC's separate report.
What Oyola Could Face in Court
Under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 1212, reckless driving is classified as an unclassified misdemeanor, carrying penalties of up to 30 days in jail, a $300 fine for a first offense, and 5 points on a driver's license, according to Saland Law. Prosecutors must prove Oyola's driving unreasonably endangered other road users to secure a conviction on that charge. It remains unclear what specifically caused the collision beyond the reported speeding, and no additional details on the reckless endangerment charge have been released.
