Man arrested after hit-and-run killed two in Sunset Park

A man was arrested in connection to the hit-and-run that left two pedestrians dead under the Gowanus Expressway in Sunset Park early on July 11.

At 4:20 a.m., Faqiu Lin, 59, and Kex Un Chen, 80, were crossing the street on Third Avenue and 52nd Street when they were struck by a speeding dark gray BMW that was traveling south, police said.

Both pedestrians were pronounced dead at the scene. 

Juventino Anastacio Florentino, 23, was later arrested in his Staten Island home. He was charged with two counts of manslaughter, two counts of criminally negligent homicide, two counts of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, two counts of reckless driving, reckless driving and disobeying traffic signals and driving at an unreasonable speed.

He was arraigned on July 12 where the judge ordered him held on $100,000 bail.

According to the Daily News, during questioning, Florentino said that he drank a six pack of beer and before the crash.

Just three days earlier, Zhuo Lin Xie, 90, was fatally struck by a moped on Avenue U and East 14th Street. The driver fled the scene.

Elected officials responded to the fatal collision.

“Here I am again in Sunset Park, 3 days after a fatal hit and run in Sheepshead Bay.  

52 street,” wrote State Sen. Steve Chan on Facebook. “2 pedestrians mowed down in yet another fatal hit and run fueled by the lawlessness of the past few years. How many times is this going to happen before we let the cops do their jobs?  Car stops, arrests, repercussions.  

You know, crime and punishment? Jail? Remember jail? I’m livid! The whole city is livid!”

“Some terrible news: two men were struck and killed early this morning by a driver that ran a red light at high rate of speed in Sunset Park,” wrote State Sen. Andrew Gounardes. “We need safer streets and accountability for reckless drivers now.”

Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes and Councilmember Alexa Avilés talked about the corridor’s conditions.

“This is yet more loss of life, including one of our senior citizens, on this problematic corridor,” said Councilmember Alexa Avilés. “While today we mourn the loss of our community members, instances like this remind us of why 3rd Avenue needs serious investments in safety enhancements form both the state and city.”

“The Third Avenue corridor is known for its unsafe conditions, with cars and trucks often driving past the speed limit, limited visibility, and crumbling roads,” said Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes. “The corridor requires pedestrians to cross six lanes of traffic, increasing the risk that our seniors and mobility-impaired community members face when attempting to cross the road.

For too long, the Sunset Park community has had to bear the brunt of living with this unsafe corridor, and today’s heartbreaking tragedy adds to a growing list of lives lost that could and should have been protected.”

In July 2021, Anthony Watts, 46, was struck and killed at the same intersection at 8:21 p.m. by a 35-year-old man driving a 2014 Jeep.