SUV driver plows through red light in South Ozone Park hit-and-run, killing woman

Eagle file photo by Jonathan Sperling.

By Jonathan Sperling

A driver in South Ozone Park sped through a steady red light early Tuesday morning, plowing into another vehicle and killing a passenger before fleeing the scene.

The deadly collision occurred as the unidentified driver, who was in a Lexus SUV, traveled west on 111th Avenue and approached 126th Street just after 1 a.m. At the same time, a Honda CRV with a 52-year-old woman and a 72-year-old woman was traveling northbound on 126th Street, approaching 111th Avenue.

As the two cars approached the intersection, the driver of the Lexus, an adult man, drove through the red light at the intersection and collided with the passenger side of the Honda, causing the 72-year-old passenger, Gilda Lascano to be ejected from the vehicle. Medical personnel pronounced her dead at the scene.

The collision also caused the Honda to strike a storefront on 111th Avenue. The 52-year-old woman, the vehicle’s driver, also suffered injuries and was taken to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition.

Immediately after the collision, the driver of the Lexus fled the scene on foot, heading west on 111th Avenue. Police from the 106th Precinct were still searching for him as of press time Tuesday.

A total of 4,506 collisions with injuries were reported in the Queens South patrol area between Jan. 1 and Sept. 1. That’s a 5.5 percent increase from the same time period in 2018, which saw 4,273 such incidents, according to NYPD data.