A Great Neck woman was arrested after she struck and killed a pedestrian in Jackson Heights, Queens on Monday, New York City police said.
Police arrested Vitaliana Garcia Gavilan, 43, in connection with the incident. Identification of the victim was being withheld pending family notification.
Police said a preliminary investigation found that Garcia Gavilan was driving westbound on 37th Avenue in a 2008 Chevy Equinox before making a right turn onto northbound 37th Avenue and striking a female pedestrian as she crossed 81st Street at 12:45 p.m.
The driver drove over the woman with the front right tire and then reversed the vehicle, police said, running her over again.
Police said that officers found an “unidentified, unconscious and unresponsive female with trauma to her body.” EMS responded and transported the pedestrian to Elmhurst Hospital Center, according to police, where she was later pronounced dead.
Garcia Gavilan remained on the scene and police took her into custody.
Garcia Gavilan faces four charges: aggravated unlicensed operator, failure to yield, driving without a license and failure to use due care causing a serious injury.
The New York Police Department Highway Department tweeted that the driver was driving with a suspended driver’s license.
Information on Garcia Gavilan’s lawyer could not be found on Wednesday.
A spokeswoman for the Queens District Attorney’s office said police issued a desk appearance ticket mandating Garcia Gavilan appear in New York City Criminal Court on Tuesday, Jan. 29 for an arraignment.
Police said an investigation by the NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad is ongoing.
“The driver failed to yield to the pedestrian as she was crossing,” Jessica Ramos, the state senator-elect for New York District 13 in Jackson Heights, tweeted about the incident on Monday night. “If you drive, please respect when pedestrians have the right of way. Stop, let them cross, and then turn. Save lives.”
