Ridgewood hit-and-run suspect who struck 3, including mom and toddler, charged
By Jessica Meditz
The individual who allegedly struck three people with his car and fled the scene last week in Ridgewood has been identified and charged.
Tyshawn Baldwin, 28, of Classon Avenue in Brooklyn, was charged on Aug. 17 with assault, reckless endangerment, unlawful fleeing of police officers and other crimes for the hit-and-run collision, which left three pedestrians injured — including a mother and toddler inside a stroller.
On Aug. 10 at Wyckoff Avenue and George Street, officers from the 104th Precinct conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle in question, a 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, reportedly with a loud exhaust and dark rear tinted windows.
Police observed Baldwin proceed to the intersection and exit the vehicle, to which they responded by activating their lights and ordering him back in the car, officers claim in the criminal charges.
Police say Baldwin was cooperative until they determined that his license was suspended on Aug. 3 of last year, and asked him to step out of his car. Instead, police say he started the car, revved the engine, refused numerous commands to stop and drove at a high rate of speed away from the intersection.
Three people were struck: a 28-year-old woman and a two-year-old girl in a stroller, along with a 35-year-old man who was unloading a truck.
The two female victims sustained minor injuries, and the male was transported to Wyckoff Hospital with a compound leg fracture.
The driver could not be located immediately, but the 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat was discovered abandoned on Woodbine Street in Bushwick shortly thereafter.
Baldwin was arraigned on Aug. 17 before Queens Criminal Court on a 17-count complaint.
He faces charges of assault in the first and second degrees, reckless endangerment in the first and second degrees, unlawful fleeing a police officer, obstructing governmental administration, endangering the welfare of a child, reckless driving, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, parking within an intersection and driving by unlicensed operator.
Baldwin was ordered to return to court on Aug. 19. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison.
“The complete disregard for public safety in this case is shameful. As alleged, the defendant was operating a vehicle with a suspended license when he struck and injured three pedestrians, including a young child — all while callously fleeing a traffic stop,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement.
“Driving is a privilege and every single person who gets behind the wheel of a car bears an individual responsibility to drive safely,” she continued. “The defendant now faces very serious charges.”
Another hit-and-run collision occurred in Ridgewood at Myrtle Avenue and Hancock Street just days after on Aug. 14, where a 74-year-old pedestrian, Be Tran, was killed.
The suspect for that incident remains at large and the investigation is ongoing.
