Motorist strikes and kills 66-year-old man in southern Brooklyn

A motorist struck and killed a man walking his dog on Fourth Avenue in southern Brooklyn on Thursday night. 

Police said Frank Delcovenaere, 66, was crossing 101st Street against the crossing signal around 7 pm when he was mowed down by a 19-year-old driving a 2011 Mercedes Benz. Cops say the driver was traveling southbound on Fourth Avenue when he made a right turn through the intersection and struck Delcovenaere, immediately killing him.

In a tweet, State Senator Andrew Gounardes suggested that the driver was speeding and called for the passage of street safety legislation he introduced last week. 

“He was killed by a speeding driver,” Gounardes wrote. “When are we going to WAKE UP, SLOW DOWN, and realize that we are literally killing each other to save a few minutes?”

A friend close to the family described Delcovenaere as the “epitome of kindness and intelligence” and someone in the neighborhood that everyone recognized. 

“He was always willing and wanting to engage people in meaningful conversation,” the family friend said. “He was ever-gracious and warm. He cared about the people that he came into contact with and knew everyone’s name.”

Upon their arrival, police found the Brooklyn man laying in the street with severe head trauma. He was declared dead on the scene.

The driver remained at the crash site following the collision and police did not make any arrests. 

The dog the victim was walking survived the crash but was examined for possible injuries at an area animal hospital, according to police.

Delcovenaere is the 24th pedestrian killed in a car crash within the city’s borders since the onset of this year.

On Monday, transportation advocates lined the sidewalk of a Park Slope YMCA frequented by Mayor Bill de Blasio with 22 empty pairs of shoes, meant to reflect the 22 pedestrians killed by drivers between then and January 1. During the demonstration, a pedestrian was killed in Queens, bringing the number of fatalities up to 23.

Just last week, a 7-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl were both killed in separate crashes in East New York.