There have been five pedestrian fatalities from the beginning of the year through March 12, according to information supplied by the Nassau County Police Department, but the trend shows a decrease from the reported 2025 pedestrian fatalities in Nassau County.
The preliminary data for Nassau showed at least 28 pedestrian fatalities in 2025, according to a Newsday report. The number of fatalities in 2026 project to 26.
Nassau County had 26 pedestrian fatalities in 2024, according to reports.
On March 9, Elena Crowley, a beloved former Roslyn School District cross guard, was fatally struck crossing the street in Wantagh. Less than an hour later, Claudia Moncado was fatally struck by a car while crossing Glen Cove Avenue in Greenvale.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said in a statement that pedestrian fatalities were a concern of his department
“The Nassau County Police Department unfortunately does respond to these tragic events and we regularly conduct traffic enforcement to enhance the safety of our roadways,” Ryder said.
He said county police remain committed to ongoing enforcement and safety initiatives and that, with public support, pedestrian safety can be addressed.
“Through awareness, such as frequent reminders about distracted driving and speeding, coupled with ensuring pedestrians are using crosswalks, following traffic control devices and wearing reflective clothing in the dark, these are a few ways we can try to ensure everyone’s safety,” Ryder said.
In 2025, according to the Tri-Stat Transportation Campaign, a nonprofit organization looking to improve pedestrian safety, the deadliest roads for pedestrians in Nassau County were Hempstead Turnpike, Sunrise Highway, Jericho Turnpike, Merrick Road and Northern Boulevard, all major roadways that run through several communities in Nassau County.
Nearby New York City recorded one of its safest years on record in 2025.
According to the New York City Department of Transportation, the city ended 2025 with the fewest traffic deaths ever recorded, dating back to the beginning of record-keeping in 1910. There were 205 recorded traffic deaths in 2025, a 19 % decline from 2024, and a 31 % decrease since the launch of Vision Zero in 2014.
The Village of Hempstead was awarded over half a million dollars in federal funding in December 2025 as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s 2025 Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program.
U.S. Rep. Laura Gillen, standing alongside Hempstead Village officials, announced that she was pushing for legislation to enhance traffic safety and urged local municipalities to apply for federal safety grants.
“Improving the safety of Long Island’s dangerous roads has been one of my top priorities,” Gillen said at the July 2025 press conference.
In a letter written to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on March 27, 2025, that Gillen shared at the press conference, she wrote that 2,100 people had been killed in traffic accidents on Long Island over the past 10 years and that in 2019 alone, New Yorkers paid over $23 billion in medical and legal bills, lost productivity, property damage and associated expenses.
