A violent three-vehicle crash on Ocean Parkway in Midwood left a 62-year-old man dead early Monday and sent one other person to the hospital, while the driver accused of causing it stripped his own license plates and disappeared on foot. The crash happened around 12:10 a.m. at Ocean Parkway and Avenue S, and the fleeing driver remains at large.
According to ABC7 Eyewitness News, a southbound Audi A5 slammed into the rear of a 2023 Toyota Camry, sending the Camry spinning into a 2021 Toyota RAV4. Both the Audi and the Camry then crashed into trees along the parkway, investigators said.
The Camry's 62-year-old driver was rushed to Maimonides Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, the outlet reported. A 39-year-old rear-seat passenger suffered critical neck and back injuries and was also rushed to the hospital, while the RAV4's 25-year-old driver walked away with only minor injuries, according to police cited in the same report.
Driver Stripped Plates Before Vanishing
Investigators said the Audi's driver abandoned the vehicle at the scene, removed its license plates, and fled before officers could identify him. He remains at large as the search continues. Witnesses told authorities that multiple people were inside the Audi at the time of the crash, though police are still working to confirm exactly how many occupants were in the car.
A Road With a Grim History
The overnight wreck adds to a troubling pattern on the 5.5-mile stretch of Ocean Parkway that runs between Prospect Park and Coney Island, a roadway with six lanes of traffic, service roads and tree-lined medians, according to Gothamist. City data cited in that report shows 15 people have been killed in crashes on the corridor since 2017, and neighbors have described it as a hotspot for drag racing and reckless driving.
The deadliest recent example came in March 2025, when an Audi A3 driven by someone with a suspended license was traveling north at Ocean Parkway and Quentin Road and struck a Toyota Camry turning right onto Ocean Parkway, then hit a family crossing the street. Three people — an adult and two children — were killed, the New York Daily News reported at the time, after the Audi continued forward and struck four pedestrians in the crosswalk.
Other fatalities on the parkway in recent years include a 2023 crash in which a teenager driving a Tesla struck and killed a 76-year-old man sitting on a park bench, and a 2020 incident in which a cyclist was killed attempting to cross the roadway, both detailed in Gothamist's reporting. Monday's crash is now the latest entry in that toll as police continue searching for the driver who fled.
