Driver in stolen car arrested in crash that killed 2 people in Chinatown
CHINATOWN, Manhattan (PIX11) --- A 23-year-old driver is accused of hitting and killing a bicyclist and a pedestrian with a stolen rental car near the Manhattan Bridge in Chinatown on Saturday, police said.
Autumn Donna Ascencio Romero, 23, of Staten Island, was arrested and charged with two counts of murder, manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide, and criminal possession of stolen property, police said Monday.
Authorities said Ascencio Romero was driving a 2024 Chevy Malibu when she jumped onto the sidewalk island that separates the Manhattan Bridge off-ramp from Bowery and hit a bicyclist and a pedestrian near Canal Street at around 7:30 a.m.
The bicyclist, 55-year-old Kevin Scott Cruickshank, and 63-year-old May Kwok, who was sitting on a bench, died at the scene, police said.
"Kevin loved riding his bike and was often seen around the neighborhood coming back from a long ride. It's devastating to know he was killed doing something he loved," a Cruickshank family spokesperson said.
After hitting the victims, the Malibu continued onto Bowery and crashed into a parked and unoccupied marked NYPD van, police said. The cop car and the Malibu were wrecked in the collision.
Sources said the Malibu was a rental from Enterprise that was due back on June 29. Two guns were found in the vehicle, sources said.
Kennedy Lecraft, 22, a passenger in the Malibu, was also arrested and charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of stolen property, and unauthorized use of a vehicle, police said.
Ascencio Romero was additionally charged with criminal possession of a weapon and leaving the scene of an accident, according to the NYPD.
The women were taken into custody at the scene and transported to the hospital for treatment.
Lecraft was arraigned Sunday and pleaded not guilty. Ascencio Romero's arraignment was pending Monday.
The driver is also accused of hitting a 22-year-old pedestrian in Brooklyn in April.
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She has been with PIX11 News for two years. See more of her work here.