Man charged after fatal accident with toddler at crosswalk in Harlem

MANHATTAN, NY – A 3-year-old girl was killed and three others were injured when a driver struck several pedestrians at a crosswalk in Harlem on July 11, police said. The driver, identified as Devon Joseph, 41, of 720 Esplanade Gardens Plaza, has been charged with failure to yield to pedestrians.

The incident occurred at approximately 7:38 p.m. at the intersection of Lenox Avenue and West 135th Street, within the 32nd Precinct. Police responded to a 911 call and arrived to find a 3-year-old girl, later identified as Jaynelyse Valdez of New Rochelle, unconscious and unresponsive with head and body trauma. Valdez was taken by private transport to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The collision also affected three others: a 2-year-old boy, a 4-month-old boy and a 37-year-old woman, all of whom were privately taken to hospital and are in stable condition.

An investigation by the NYPD Highway District Collision Investigation Squad revealed that Joseph was driving a 2020 Nissan Pathfinder south on Lenox Avenue when he turned left onto West 135th Street eastbound. Police said the pedestrians were crossing at a marked crosswalk with a crossing signal in their favor when Joseph’s vehicle struck them.

Joseph remained at the scene and was not injured. No additional arrests have been made, but the investigation continues as the NYPD investigates the circumstances of the fatal collision.