A Brooklyn Supreme Court jury convicted a 57-year-old man of reckless manslaughter on Sept. 25 for the 2016 hit-and-run death of a cyclist in Williamsburg.
Queens resident Matthew von Ohlen was pedaling in a bicycle lane on Grand Street near Manhattan Avenue at 2:37 am on July 2 when Juan Maldonado, who lives in Williamsburg, drove his black Chevrolet Camaro into the bike rider, dragging him some 20 feet before speeding away. Authorities then took von Ohlen to a Manhattan hospital, where he was pronounced dead due to blunt force trauma.
Maldonado faces up to 15 years behind bars for the conviction, and Kings County’s acting district attorney said his office will doggedly pursue justice for hit-and-run victims after the jury delivered its guilty verdict.
“The driver in this case engaged in the types of criminal actions I am determined to prosecute in Brooklyn in order to reduce fatalities on our roads and streets,” said Eric Gonzalez.
The verdict came as some locals continue to search for answers to a still-open case in which a private garbage-truck driver hit and killed a cyclist in Greenpoint on July 22, but has yet to be arrested or charged.
