Woman Driver Dies in Fiery FDR Crash When Tesla Hits Wall

The unidentified woman, who police said was the driver, and a 25-year-old male passenger were both ejected from the vehicle after it hit a guardrail. The car was said to be traveling over 100 MPH by one witness.

| 05 Feb 2025 | 11:43

An unidentified woman and her 25-year-old male passenger were both ejected from the vehicle when the Tesla she was driving spun out of control, flipped over and hit a guardrail early in the morning on Feb. 4 in the northbound lane of the FDR Drive near E. 75th St.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The male passenger was taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell Hospital and was listed in stable condition.

A police spokesperson said no other vehicle was involved in the fiery crash.

The FDNY summoned 60 firefighters including a hazmat unit to the scene of the crash due to lithium ion battery in the all electric vehicle bursting into flames. It took about an hour to extinguish the flames and a Hazmat unit followed the burned out Tesla to an impound lot to prevent a flare up after the fire was brought under control.

A witness told WABC Eyewitness News that the car was exceeding 100 MPH at the time of the crash, going “at least 120, 130 [MPH]” as it sped past them in the northbound lane of the FDR.

The crash happened around 2:44 in the morning and the fire was extinguished about one hour later, but traffic on the FDR as well as nearby York Ave. where much of the traffic was diverted remained snarled for hours.

“There are no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing by the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad,” said an NYPD spokesperson. The spokesperson said the identity of the woman driving the vehicle was being withheld pending notification of the next of kin.