You are reading

Delivery truck driver criminally charged for hit-and-run collision that killed a Woodside girl and injured her little sister: DA

A truck driver was arraigned Tuesday for a hit-and-run collision that killed a 16-year-old Woodside girl and injured her little sister late last month. Photo via Google Maps

July 23, 2024 By Bill Parry

A delivery truck driver from Manhattan was indicted by a Queens grand jury for a hit-and-run collision that killed a 16-year-old girl and injured her little sister near I.S. 125 in Woodside on the last day of school.

Boubacar Barry, 28, of Broome Street in lower Manhattan was arraigned Tuesday in Queens Supreme Court on an 11-count indictment charging him with criminally negligent homicide in the death of Jael Zhinin, who was allegedly struck by Barry’s water delivery truck as she was crossing 46th Street at 47th Avenue with her sister. Barry allegedly drove off to continue his deliveries after striking the girls, who were on their way home from a Sunnyside park.

“No parent should ever have to endure the loss of a child and our thoughts are with the family of these young sisters,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.

A GoFundMe account was opened to help the family of 16-year-old Jael Zhinin pay for her funeral casts and the medical bills of her little sister Leslie. Photo courtesy of GoFundMe

According to the charges, video surveillance shows that on June 26, at around 3:25 p.m., Barry was behind the wheel of a Ford truck with “Ready Refresh” branding on it while traveling westbound on 47th Avenue in Woodside before making a left turn onto 46th Street. He failed to yield to a yellow school bus that was approaching from the eastbound lane of 47th Avenue and, upon turning, narrowly avoided hitting a bicyclist.

As he made the turn, Barry did not appear to be looking ahead of him, but rather at the rear driver’s side of the truck. As he entered the intersection, Jael Zhinin and her eight-year-old sister Leslie stepped into the marked crosswalk — with the walk signal — and began crossing 46th Street. When they approached the middle of the crosswalk they were hit by Barry’s truck and thrown to the pavement. The truck then drove over the sisters and continued southbound without stopping.

Photo of the dangerous intersection at 47th Avenue and 46th Street near I.S. 125 in Woodside. Photo courtesy of Transportation Alternatives

Video surveillance then shows Barry making a left turn off 46th Street and double parking his truck, getting out and speaking to someone. Barry began to unload water from his truck.

Jael Zhinin sustained severe head and torso trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS responded to the scene and transported Leslie Zhinin to Elmhurst Hospital where she was listed in serious condition. She is receiving ongoing care.

“It is imperative that pedestrians be able to cross our streets safely,” Katz said. “And it is incumbent upon every driver to make sure the crosswalk is clear before turning.”

Following his indictment, Barry was arrested Tuesday morning and booked at the 111th Precinct in Bayside.

Barry was also charged with two counts of leaving the scene without reporting, assault, and other related crimes. If convicted, Barry faces up to seven years in prison. Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Harofils ordered him to return to court on Sept. 19.

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

Police seek woman who attacked 12-year-old boy and stole phone on Jamaica Avenue: NYPD

Police from the 102nd Precinct in Richmond Hill are still looking for a grown woman who allegedly slapped a young boy repeatedly on Jamaica Avenue before stealing his cell phone on Sunday, Dec. 8.

The stranger approached the 12-year-old victim near 126th Street on Jamaica Avenue at around 4:20 p.m. and began to argue with the youngster. The dispute escalated into violence when the assailant began slapping the child multiple times in his head and snatched his cell phone, police said. She was last seen running off, traveling westbound on Jamaica Avenue toward Bessemer Street.

Homeless men charged in deadly 7 train subway brawl in Woodside: DA

Three homeless men were arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Tuesday and variously charged with felony robbery, attempted gang assault, and assault for allegedly stealing the belongings of a 69-year-old homeless man who was asleep on a Manhattan-bound 7 train in Woodside early Sunday morning.

The victim woke up and tried to regain his property. During the ensuing brawl, the victim fatally stabbed a 37-year-old assailant and slashed a second man. The victim has not been charged in the fatal stabbing. The investigation by the NYPD’s Queens Homicide Squad and members of the 108th Precinct in Long Island City remains ongoing.

Hunt for suspect after 20-minute groping spree targets four in Southeast Queens: NYPD

Police from the 113th Precinct in Jamaica are looking for a serial groper who targeted three teenage girls and a mother walking with her young son in Southeast Queens on the morning of Monday, Dec. 16.

The suspect struck within a brief 20-minute span, beginning with his first victim, a 16-year-old girl walking near 115th Avenue and 170th Street, just a block south of Archie Spigner Park. At approximately 8:20 a.m., the assailant approached her from behind, grabbed her rear end, and fled the scene, police said.