NEW YORK, N.Y. – A Queens man has been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed a 76-year-old woman crossing a Lower East Side street last month, police said. The incident occurred around 6:59 p.m. on December 18, when officers responded to reports of a pedestrian struck near the intersection of Stanton and Clinton Streets. Investigators determined that a black 2010 Ford Edge, driven by 54-year-old Julio Cachago of Astoria Boulevard in Queens, was heading north on Clinton Street when he made a right turn onto eastbound Stanton Street, striking the victim who was crossing in the marked crosswalk.
The pedestrian, identified as Yong Li of 87 Clinton Street, suffered severe trauma and was rushed by EMS to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue in critical condition, where she later died. The driver continued eastbound without stopping, police said.
Following an investigation by the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad, Cachago was arrested on December 20 at approximately 8:15 p.m. and charged with criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene of an accident, and motor vehicle failure to yield to a pedestrian.
Authorities said the case remains under review as detectives continue to gather evidence related to the fatal collision.