You are reading

Bronx man busted in Astoria hit-and-run that killed Brooklyn man in road rage incident: NYPD

A Bronx man was arrested and charged with murder in the fatal hit-and-run in Astoria last month that killed a Brooklyn man. (File photo by Lloyd Mitchell)

Nov. 10, 2023 By Bill Parry

A Bronx man was arrested on Thursday, Nov. 9, and booked at the 114th Precinct in Astoria, where he was charged with murder in connection with a fatal hit-and-run just five blocks east of the precinct on the morning of Friday, Oct. 20, according to the NYPD.

Zahir Williams, 24, of Beck Street in the Bronx, was arraigned Friday in Queens Criminal Court nearly three weeks after he allegedly ran over Francis Ortega, 50, of Division Avenue in Brooklyn, at the intersection of Astoria Boulevard South and Steinway Street.

Williams was behind the wheel of a Nissan with two associates when he got into a fender-bender with Ortega, who was driving a BMW just after 4 a.m.on Oct. 20.

According to the criminal complaint, based on video surveillance and witness accounts, Williams and his two passengers proceeded to punch and kick Ortega as he stood next to his vehicle. Ortega fell next to his car and Williams “stomped” on the victim’s body before getting into Ortega’s vehicle and slamming him with the driver’s side door.

One of his associates dragged Ortega away from the car door and left him on the roadway as Williams sped away. After circling the block, Williams returned to the scene and ran the victim over with his own car, thereby causing his death, according to the complaint. Williams and his two friends ran off southbound on Steinway Street. The two other men remain at large.

EMS responded to the scene and rushed Ortega to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short while later.

In addition to the murder charge, Williams was criminally charged with gang assault in the first degree and unauthorized use of a vehicle.

Queens Criminal Court Judge Stephanie Zaro ordered Williams to return to court on Nov. 16.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Dozens injured during pepper spray incident at College Point middle school: FDNY

Mayhem erupted at a College Point school after two young students fired off pepper spray devices, injuring dozens, most of them classmates, on Friday afternoon.

The FDNY received a call reporting the pepper spray incident at around 12:46 p.m. in the cafeteria at MS 379 at 124-06 14th Ave. Firefighters and EMS personnel arrived on the scene at the College Point Collaborative School, where they found 26 patients needing medical attention. Nine were triaged on the scene by an FDNY medical doctor and did not require hospitalization, while eleven students were transported to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital. All had non-life-threatening injuries, the FDNY said. The children were treated for eye irritation, and all had difficulty breathing

Kew Gardens Hills woman accused of scamming seniors out of their life savings: DA

A Kew Gardens Hills woman is criminally charged for scamming senior citizens out of their life savings in a nationwide elder fraud scheme, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Friday.

Lisa Rossopoulos, 59, of Park Drive East, was arraigned Thursday in Queens Criminal Court on two counts of grand larceny in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of stolen property in the second degree.