STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Families are left shattered \u2014 parents without children, children without parents and partners without one another.<\/p>\n
While New York City ended 2025 with the fewest traffic deaths since records began in 1910, Staten Island was an exception<\/a>, seeing a rise in fatal crashes, according to New York City Department of Transportation data. The borough recorded 13 traffic deaths in 2025, up from 12 in 2024.<\/p>\n Among them was 80-year-old Chaosheng Wu<\/a>, who was struck and killed in Dongan Hills in March. Two months later, 58-year-old Jose Luis Gomez-Guallazaca<\/a>, of the Bronx, lost his life after being struck by an e-scooter while crossing a street in Concord. <\/p>\n Summer brought more loss. On the Fourth of July weekend, 16-year-old electric scooter rider Nacere Ellis<\/a> died in Westerleigh, and 34-year-old motorcyclist Jeremy Claudio<\/a> died in Clifton.<\/p>\n In October, Staten Island experienced a particularly devastating series of crashes. A 66-year-old woman, Meiyun Chen<\/a>, was fatally struck by an SUV in Richmond Valley. <\/p>\n Shortly after, a crash on the Staten Island Expressway claimed the lives of 25-year-old Raymond Irizarry Jr.<\/a> and brothers Joshua Mendez, 26, and Jose Pazos, 27<\/a>. <\/p>\n Around the same time, 68-year-old Felipe Calyeca Moranchel <\/a>was struck in West Brighton and 60-year-old Robert Farina<\/a> died in Greenridge.<\/p>\n 2026 began tragically with the deaths of 6-year-old Anheli Vasquez-Trinidad<\/a> and 90-year-old Gerardo Avila<\/a>, who died days after a New Year\u2019s weekend crash in New Springville.<\/p>\n