Police ID 10-year-old fatally struck by SUV in Brooklyn as driver released on desk appearance

Amanda Woods, Desheania Andrews
·2 min read

A 10-year-old girl fatally struck by an SUV in Brooklyn was identified by police Wednesday – as the motorist was slapped with charges but released with a desk appearance ticket.

Hayalde Yitel Wertzberger — also known as Yitty — was standing in the marked crosswalk at the intersection of Wallabout Street and Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg around 2:40 p.m. Tuesday when Buick Enclave driver Isaac Karczag, 62, mowed her down while making a left turn against the light, police said.

A 10-year-old girl was fatally struck by an SUV in Brooklyn. Paul Martinka
A 10-year-old girl was fatally struck by an SUV in Brooklyn. Paul Martinka
The 10-year-old girl, Yitty Wertzberger, was mowed down in the marked crosswalk at Wallabout Street and Wythe Avenue, cops said. Paul Martinka
The 10-year-old girl, Yitty Wertzberger, was mowed down in the marked crosswalk at Wallabout Street and Wythe Avenue, cops said. Paul Martinka

Yitty, who lives less than a mile from the scene, was rushed to the Brooklyn Hospital Center, where she was pronounced dead, cops said.

Karczag stayed at the scene, but was later slapped with charges for failure to yield to a pedestrian, failure to obey a traffic device and failure to exercise due care, cops said.

About one thousand people attended Wertzberger’s funeral service. Paul Martinka
About one thousand people attended Wertzberger’s funeral service. Paul Martinka

The motorist, who also lives less than a mile away, was issued a desk appearance ticket and let go, authorities said.

Less than 24 hours after the tragic crash, more than hundreds of mourners flooded the streets in front of a local synagogue for Yitty’s funeral.

Her body was carried out in a wooden casket covered by a black cloth, as the street was temporarily blocked off by the NYPD.

Yitty’s mother could be seen grieving among other relatives while supporters approached her and the family to pay their respects.

The family declined to speak to reporters.

“I’ve received devastating news that a young girl was struck and killed in a crash at the intersection of Wallabout and Wythe in South Williamsburg,” City Council Member Lincoln Restler, who represents the area, posted on X later Tuesday. “My heart breaks for her family and loved ones.”

Her funeral was held this afternoon outside Viznitz Synagogue at 6 Lee Avenue in Williamsburg Brooklyn. Paul Martinka
Her funeral was held this afternoon outside Viznitz Synagogue at 6 Lee Avenue in Williamsburg Brooklyn. Paul Martinka
Buick Enclave driver Isaac Karczag, 62, was arrested and slapped with a desk appearance ticket, cops said. Peter Gerber
Buick Enclave driver Isaac Karczag, 62, was arrested and slapped with a desk appearance ticket, cops said. Peter Gerber

He noted that the crash happened four blocks south of the spot where Sarah Pitts, 35, a senior assistant district attorney in the Kings County prosecutor’s office, was fatally struck by a bus while riding her bike in 2020.

“We need real street safety interventions and we need them now,” Restler wrote.

“Devastating and deeply tragic,” local Assembly Member Emily Gallagher posted. “May her memory be a blessing. And may we finally do everything we can, at all levels of government, to ensure that children can safely walk in their neighborhoods without fear of injury or death from a car crash.”