Skip to content

UPDATED: IT’S FIFTEEN NOW: Woman Cyclist Killed in Bushwick

A cyclist was killed by a cement truck in Bushwick on Monday at around 12:20 p.m., police said.
UPDATED: IT’S FIFTEEN NOW: Woman Cyclist Killed in Bushwick
This is the moment when Devra Freelander was killed by a cement truck driver.

Updated | A cyclist was killed by a cement truck in Bushwick on Monday at around 12:20 p.m., police said.

According to updated information from police, 29-year-old Devra Freelander was riding northbound on Bushwick Avenue when she was struck by the 70-year-old driver of a 2017 Mack cement truck that had been traveling eastbound on Boerum Street. EMS said Freelander died at the scene.

Other information was not available, police said. The investigation is ongoing. A video obtained by Streetsblog suggested that the truck driver had the light — but also showed the truck driver moving at a fast speed.

The Daily News identified the driver as Alan Vega of the company, United Transit Mix, which is near the crash scene. The company’s owner Tony Mastronardi told the paper that he blamed the cyclist — and all cyclists, apparently.

“Too many bikes, too many bikes on the road,” said Mastronardi.

It is unclear why a cement truck was on Boerum Street in the first place. The roadway is not labeled as a truck route on city maps. Locals told the Daily News that trucks are often speeding in the residential area.

The 90th Precinct does a very poor job of enforcing truck route violations, which is a particular problem in the neighborhood because the eastern part of the precinct is largely industrial.

Yet through May this year, 90th Precinct cops wrote just five tickets to truckers operating outside their legal routes, according to NYPD statistics. Exactly zero tickets were written in all of May.

In 2018, the precinct seemed to be a bit more aggressive, writing 101 truck route violation tickets between January and October, stats show.

Monday’s victim is the 15th cyclist to die on the roads this year, up from 10 all of last year.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzYkdbPFVjs/?igshid=l7jbx2odgrsv

Transportation Alternatives’ Interim co-Executive Director Marco Conner said the latest cyclist death — the third in a week — shows that “Vision Zero is in a state of emergency and Mayor de Blasio is in denial about his signature program faltering under his neglect.”

Conner said that the mayor’s signature street safety initiative has shown promise — but “today we are in a crisis.” His group demanded that de Blasio “immediately task DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg with creating an emergency response plan worthy of this crisis that can be implemented as soon as possible.” If not, the City Council should pass a “Vision Zero State of Emergency Omnibus Bill to protect walking and biking New Yorkers.”

This story was updated at 3:50 p.m. and will be updated when more information comes in.

Photo of Gersh Kuntzman
Tabloid legend Gersh Kuntzman has been with New York newspapers since 1989, including stints at the New York Daily News, the Post, the Brooklyn Paper and even a cup of coffee with the Times. He's also the writer and producer of "Murder at the Food Coop," which was a hit at the NYC Fringe Festival in 2016, and “SUV: The Musical” in 2007. He also writes the Cycle of Rage column, which is archived here.

Comments Are Temporarily Disabled

Streetsblog is in the process of migrating our commenting system. During this transition, commenting is temporarily unavailable.

Once the migration is complete, you will be able to log back in and will have full access to your comment history. We appreciate your patience and look forward to having you back in the conversation soon.

More from Streetsblog New York City

Opinion: Sean Duffy’s ‘Golden Age’ of Dangerous Streets

Ethan Andersen
December 15, 2025

‘I’m Always on the Bus’: How Transit Advocacy Helped Katie Wilson Become Seattle’s Next Mayor

December 12, 2025

Watchdog Wants Hochul To Nix Bus Lane Enforcement Freebies for MTA Drivers

December 11, 2025

More Truck Routes Are Coming To A Street Near You

December 11, 2025

Upstate County’s New Bus Service Will Turn A Transit Desert Into A Rural Network

December 11, 2025
See all posts