A Deadly Turn in Bensonhurst: Sanitation Driver Arrested After Fatal Crash
Timothy McVey, a 41-year-old Department of Sanitation employee from Staten Island, surrendered to police at the 62nd Precinct station house this Wednesday, facing misdemeanor charges following a fatal collision that claimed the life of 30-year-old Siobhan Lynch. The incident, which occurred on October 28 at the intersection of Cropsey Avenue and Bay Parkway in Bath Beach, has left a community grieving and a family searching for accountability.
McVey was operating a DSNY garbage truck and attempting a right turn from Cropsey Avenue onto Bay Parkway when he struck Lynch. Both the driver and the pedestrian had a green light at the time of the collision, yet McVey should have yielded. The charges filed against McVey—failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care—are misdemeanors that carry maximum penalties of $250 in fines and 30 days in jail. Whether these charges will escalate or lead to more significant professional consequences remains the central question for both criminal investigators and the Department of Sanitation’s internal disciplinary process.
The Human Cost of a Dangerous Intersection
Siobhan Lynch, a resident of Brighton Beach, was crossing the street when the impact occurred at approximately 6:45 p.m. Her mother described her daughter as a petite woman—roughly 5 feet tall and 94 pounds—who was thrown several feet by the force of the city vehicle. She was transported to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, where she was pronounced dead.
The tragedy has sparked an outpouring of grief from those who knew Lynch. A GoFundMe page established to assist with funeral costs describes her as a beloved daughter, aunt, and twin sister who was deeply committed to her family. “Siobhan was someone anyone could get along with; she listened with her entire heart,” friend Jacqueline Mariano wrote on the fundraising page. For her surviving twin, Shannon Lynch, the focus is now squarely on the legal proceedings. She told Streetsblog that she intends to ensure that McVey faces full punishment.
A Pattern of Peril at Cropsey and Bay
The intersection where Lynch lost her life is one of the worst in the city, sluicing impatient drivers on both of the wide, two-way roadways onto or from the Belt Parkway. The data paints a grim picture: in 2025, there were 30 reported crashes at just that intersection, injuring 21 people, including five pedestrians. Since 2021, city records indicate at least 106 reported crashes, injuring 77 people, including three cyclists and 18 pedestrians.
While McVey has been employed by the Department of Sanitation since 2022, his future with the agency is now uncertain. A criminal conviction could result in the loss of his commercial driver’s license, which could lead to his termination with the Sanitation Department. Even in the absence of a conviction, the agency will undertake its own internal investigation.
For now, the Sanitation Department has maintained a limited public stance. Sanitation Department spokesman Joshua Goodman told Streetsblog that the agency is assisting the NYPD with the ongoing investigation, stating, “This is a terrible tragedy, and our thoughts are with the victim’s family.” As the legal process begins, the community remains left with the haunting question posed by the victim’s mother: how a driver could fail to see a pedestrian lawfully crossing with the light in such a high-traffic area.
