The Brooklyn healthcare community is mourning the heartbreaking death of Jiayi Zheng, a 28-year-old registered nurse who was fatally injured in a hit-and-run collision shortly after completing an overnight shift at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn.
Zheng was reportedly walking home on the morning of August 29, 2026, when she was struck near Third Avenue and 55th Street in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood. The devastating collision ended the life of a young healthcare professional remembered by colleagues as caring, helpful and positive.
According to the information provided, the crash occurred shortly before 7:40 a.m. as Zheng was crossing the street. Police said she was struck by a Cadillac traveling southbound on Third Avenue.
The impact left Zheng critically injured. Emergency responders transported her to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, where she had reportedly just completed her overnight shift. Despite efforts by medical personnel, she later died from her injuries.
The circumstances surrounding her death have been particularly painful for her colleagues because Zheng had spent the night caring for patients at the same hospital where she was ultimately treated following the collision.
The driver reportedly fled the scene after striking her, turning the incident into a fatal hit-and-run investigation. Authorities have been working to identify the driver and determine exactly what happened in the moments before and after the collision.
Reports identified the vehicle involved as a 2014 Cadillac sedan. The NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad is investigating, with surveillance footage and other evidence expected to assist detectives as they work to establish the circumstances of the crash.
At the time of the latest information provided, no arrest had been announced.
Zheng’s death has deeply affected the NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn community. At only 28, she had already established herself as a registered nurse and was reportedly working as a float nurse, a role that allowed her to assist across different hospital units depending on staffing needs.
Her position brought her into contact with numerous nurses, physicians and other healthcare workers. Colleagues remembered her as someone who cared about her work and was willing to help others, even during the demanding hours of overnight shifts.
For those who worked alongside her, Zheng was more than a healthcare professional. She was a colleague and friend whose presence became part of their daily lives.
Her sudden death has left coworkers struggling to reconcile the loss of someone who had been working alongside them only hours earlier.
For Zheng’s family and friends, the grief is even more profound. A young woman who had dedicated herself to caring for others was suddenly taken while simply making her way home after work.
Her death also highlights the devastating consequences that can follow a traffic collision when a driver fails to stop and provide assistance. The investigation will determine the circumstances surrounding the crash and what responsibility, if any, the driver may face.
As investigators continue searching for the person responsible, those who knew Jiayi are left to remember the life she lived rather than only the circumstances of her death.
Jiayi Zheng will be remembered as a young nurse who dedicated herself to helping others, a valued colleague and a caring presence in the Brooklyn healthcare community. Her life was tragically cut short at 28, but the kindness and positive spirit remembered by those who worked beside her will remain part of her legacy.
