Woman Fatally Struck By Hit-And-Run Minivan Driver In Chelsea

A minivan driver fatally hit a 29-year-old woman and drove off early Sunday in Chelsea, according to an NYPD spokesperson.

Maria Christina Villacres, of Corona, Queens, was crossing Seventh Avenue from west to east at West 24th Street when she was struck by the driver heading southbound on Seventh Avenue about 5:10 a.m., according to a police release.

The collision knocked the woman unconscious, injuring her head and body, according to the NYPD. The driver continued without stopping down Seventh Avenue and turned left onto West 23rd Street.

Officers responded to the 911 call and found Villacres unresponsive. Villacres was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The Collision Investigation Squad is investigating what happened.

Police did not immediately have information about the type of minivan or what the driver looks like.

Initially, police said the woman was crossing West 23rd Street at Seventh Avenue from south to north while the driver was heading eastbound on 23rd Street. The NYPD released updated information about the crash that killed Villacres Sunday afternoon.

As of July 30th, 47 pedestrians and nine cyclists have died in crashes on NYC streets, compared to 63 and 18 during the same time period last year, according to the Department of Transportation. There have been 42 motor vehicle occupant and 19 motorcyclists deaths through July 30th as well, compared to 27 and 14 during that time in 2019. In all of last year, 124 pedestrians, 29 cyclists, and 68 motorists died in crashes, Vision Zero stats show.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home policies, traffic plummeted as New Yorkers sheltered in place to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. Though reckless drivers speeding through the streets haven't stopped, crashes and injuries are overall down so far this year compared to last. NYPD data shows that crashes and crashes with injuries are down 48 and 34 percent, respectively, through July 26th. Pedestrian injuries have also dropped by 39 percent through July 26th—from 5,655 at this time last year to 3,452.