FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 03, 2025
Hit-and-Run Driver Sentenced to up to 12 Years in Prison for
Killing Woman on Motorized Scooter in Bedford Stuyvesant
Defendant Did Not Stop After He Sped Through Red Light and Collided with Victim
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that a Brownsville man has been sentenced to four to 12 years in prison following his guilty plea to reckless manslaughter in connection with a fatal hit-and-run in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The defendant sped through a red light and struck the 43-year-old victim on a motorized scooter before leaving the scene.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “This defendant was speeding and ran a red light, causing a tragic crash that took a women’s life. After a thorough investigation, he has now been held accountable for his reckless and criminal conduct. My office is committed to improving the safety of Brooklyn’s streets, and I hope the family and friends of Bernadine Lewis find a measure of solace with today’s sentence, knowing this defendant has been held responsible and will be off our roadways.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Mike Josie, 26, of Brownsville, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Christopher Robles to an indeterminate sentence of four to 12 years in prison. The defendant pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter on February 24, 2025.
The District Attorney said that, according to the evidence, on June 24, 2022, at about 2:14 a.m., the defendant was driving a Hyundai Elantra west on Lexington Avenue when he ran a red light at the intersection of Throop Avenue. The defendant was traveling in excess of 45 m.p.h. in a 25-m.p.h. zone when he struck the victim, Bernadine Lewis, 43, in the intersection. The collision knocked the victim off her moped and onto the ground.
Furthermore, according to the evidence, video surveillance captured the defendant driving off without stopping. The defendant never reported the collision to police.
Ms. Lewis was taken to Kings County Hospital where she died of her injuries.
The defendant was arrested on April 18, 2023, following an investigation led by NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Kaitlin Kinsella, of the District Attorney’s Blue Zone Trial Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Kin Ng, Chief of the Blue Zone.
#