A Manhattan man is facing charges for allegedly driving the wrong way and fatally striking a 27-year-old woman who was crossing a West Village street last fall.
Police said they arrested 62-year-old Gary Levinson on Tuesday and charged him with criminally negligent homicide and reckless driving.
Levinson was behind the wheel of a van when he hit Valerie Schoeck on the morning of Nov. 6 as she crossed Morton Street at Seventh Avenue, according to the NYPD.
Officials said Levinson had made a left turn onto Morton Street and was driving against the flow of traffic.
First responders took Schoeck to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Levinson stayed at the scene of the crash and was not arrested at the time, the NYPD said.
Schoeck lived less than a mile from where she was killed, according to police. A GofundMe page was subsequently created in her honor to support Our House, a nonprofit dedicated to providing grief support services. The fundraiser collected more than $63,000.
Police said Levinson lives in the East Village. His lawyer, Scott Leemon, said Levinson was arraigned Tuesday and released on his own recognizance.
“This was a horrible accident, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Ms. Schoeck,” Leemon said in a statement.
This is a developing story based on preliminary information from police and may be updated.
