A 40-year-old Canarsie man riding his bicycle on Avenue I in Flatlands was struck head-on by a BMW driver late Thursday night and killed, with the driver fleeing the scene without stopping. Mamadou Diallo was attempting to turn south onto East 54th Street at around 11:49 p.m. when the eastbound BMW hit him, throwing his body into a nearby parked car.
The collision, first reported by CBS News New York, has since drawn additional detail from Streetsblog NYC, which reports the exact collision mechanics and confirms Diallo’s identity. Police are actively searching for the driver, who has not been identified or apprehended. No description of the BMW or its direction of travel beyond eastbound on Avenue I has been made public.
Third Fatal Cyclist Hit-and-Run in Three Days
Diallo’s death marks the third fatal cyclist hit-and-run recorded in New York City within a three-day span in mid-August, according to the same Streetsblog report. The other two fatal crashes occurred in Cypress Hills and the Bronx two days earlier, on August 18.
One of those crashes killed 29-year-old e-bike commuter Paulina Tec Choc, who was struck from behind and run over on Jamaica Avenue in Cypress Hills by the driver of a white Ford F-250 pickup truck who then fled north. Tec Choc was on her way to her job at a local Sonic Drive-In when she was hit, a crash Hoodline covered in detail in our earlier report on her death.
How NYPD Investigates When Drivers Flee
Fatal hit-and-run cases in New York City are investigated by the NYPD’s specialized Highway District Collision Investigation Squad, which handles forensic scene reconstruction, gathers vehicle debris, and canvasses the area for surveillance footage. Local precinct officers typically assist squad detectives by securing physical evidence at the scene. It remains an open question whether investigators have obtained security footage or forensic evidence that could identify the driver who struck Diallo…