A woman in East Harlem was killed Tuesday morning when a garbage truck hit a parked vehicle, pushing it into scaffolding that collapsed on her as she stood on a sidewalk, the police said.
Paramedics responded, but the woman, whose name and age have not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene. The garbage truck driver and a male passenger, 50, were taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition, the police said.
The truck driver, a 47-year-old man, was headed northbound on First Avenue near the intersection with East 101st Street when he ran into a parked Kia Forte around 6 a.m., the police said. The Kia rammed into scaffolding, which fell onto the woman at 345 East 101st Street, the police said.
There have been no arrests, and an investigation is ongoing, the police said.
In New York City, there are more than 8,400 sidewalk sheds, and about 40 percent of them are in place for more than a year. Mayor Eric Adams started a Get Sheds Down initiative in 2023 in a bid to reduce scaffolding across the five boroughs. Last month he announced six new designs aimed at allowing more light and space on sidewalks.
“For too long, scaffolding and outdated and cumbersome sidewalk sheds have blocked sunlight, hurt small businesses, and cluttered our neighborhoods,” Mr. Adams said in a statement.
Samantha Latson is a Times reporter covering New York City and a member of the 2025-26 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers.
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