Police confirm a man and woman were killed, and two other passengers were injured following a 3-vehicle collision that took place on the Cross Bronx Expressway on Friday, and shut down the busy roadway for nearly five hours. Members of the FDNY carried out a prolonged rescue of those trapped in one mangled vehicle, while members of the NYPD Crash Investigation Squad (CIS) investigated the cause before the roadway could be cleared and reopened for morning traffic.

The crash took place on the westbound Cross Bronx Expressway at Rosedale Avenue, located in the very northern part of the Soundview section of The Bronx, at 11:48 p.m. on Friday, February 25, according to the CIS Reports system, a new reporting database on fatal crashes.

Police responded to a 911 call regarding the vehicle collision which occurred in the 43rd precinct. A preliminary investigation determined that a 2001 Gray Mitsubishi Montero Sport was traveling in the right lane, westbound, on the Cross Bronx Expressway.

Meanwhile, a 2015 Black Freightliner Utility Flatbed truck was stopped on the right shoulder lane, while assisting an uninvolved disabled tractor trailer. The Mitsubishi, in attempting to avoid hitting the flatbed, collided with a 2013 Brown Lincoln MKX driving in the center lane, causing the Mitsubishi to re-enter the right lane and collide with the flatbed truck.

There were four occupants inside the Mitsubishi. The 33-year-old, female driver of the vehicle was removed to St Barnabas Hospital by EMS, where she was pronounced deceased. A 47-year-old, male, front seat passenger was pronounced deceased at the scene. Additionally, two rear seat passengers, a 15-year-old girl and a 32-year-old woman were removed by EMS to Jacobi Medical Center and St Barnabas Hospital, respectively. Both were reported to be in stable condition.

There were no other injuries reported to the occupants in the other two vehicles involved in the crash. The investigation remains ongoing by the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad, and the identification of the female driver is pending family notification.

An attempt by Norwood News to reach the unidentified driver of the tractor trailer proved unsuccessful. A female official at J.P. Express, which rented the tractor-trailer, had “no comment” when contacted on Monday, Feb. 28.

According to the City’s latest “Vision Zero” statistics, as of Jan. 31, there have been 19 fatalities and 3,101 injuries resulting from motor vehicle collisions across the City so far since the beginning of 2022. Most of the crashes have taken place during the evening commute, between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.