Uber driver held for killing pedestrian

JACKSON HEIGHTS, NY — An Uber driver was arrested after he struck and killed a man crossing an intersection on 37th Avenue.

The police said Henry Boimel, 67, was walking on the south side of 76th Street and 37th Avenue when he was struck by Dinesh Bhattarai, 45, who was making a right turn onto 76th Street around 7:29 pm.

The victim was taken to Elmhurst Hospital with severe head injuries and was later pronounced dead.

Bhattarai is an Uber driver but he was not using the app at the time of the crash, according to a spokeswoman for the company.

He lives on 76th Street and was arrested and charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk.

Pedestrian safety on Jackson Heights’ streets, particularly the congested 37th Avenue, was brought up multiple times at th recent 115th Precinct Community Council meeting.

Many people asked for increased enforcement on 37th, 35th and 34th avenues — fearing more fatalities.

Officials from the NYPD’s 115th Precinct said at the meeting that they would address the complaints with a shift in where they assigned traffic enforcement officers.