NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A man was arrested in connection with an incident that happened on February 13, when a woman crossing Whalley Avenue with her walker was struck by a car.
Police said that on February 27, Samir Zienadden turned himself in on a warrant for his arrest. Zienadden is being charged with reckless endangerment in the second degree. He was released on promise to appear in court, which is scheduled for March 5.
The 57-year old woman who was struck by the car suffered minor injuries.
Pedestrians being struck by cars have been an growing concern in New Haven. In 2019, nine pedestrians were struck and killed. So far, in 2020, three pedestrians have been killed.In 2018, 115 pedestrians were struck by vehicles in New Haven. In 2019, that number skyrocketed to 186.
"It’s something we take very seriously," said Chief Otoniel Reyes of the New Haven Police Department. "We’ve been beefing up patrols. It’s something we started doing even last year."
Reyes says his police department is doing the best that they can with their still depleted staffing. New Haven is still 100 officers short of what would be considered fully staffed.
