A Brooklyn woman is suing New York City and NYPD officers over a 2024 police chase in Bushwick that killed her 71-year-old mother and left her with a collapsed lung and broken ribs, arguing that an aggressive car-chase policy under Mayor Eric Adams is what set the deadly crash in motion. The lawsuit was detailed by Gothamist, which first reported its contents.

Jessica Vidal, 44, filed the federal suit against the city and the officers involved and is seeking damages to be determined at trial. According to the suit, on the day of the collision in 2024, Vidal was walking with her mother, Juanita Vidal, on Knickerbocker Avenue at about 5 p.m. Blocks away, NYPD officers pulled over 27-year-old Robert Matthews for not stopping at a stop sign. During the traffic stop, Matthews sped off, and three officers in an NYPD vehicle drove after him.

For eight blocks, according to the suit, Matthews swerved through traffic, running stop signs and red lights at high speed while the officers followed. The lawsuit alleges the officers never turned on their siren or otherwise tried to warn people in the path of the chase. When Matthews reached the intersection of Eldert Street and Knickerbocker Avenue, his Mazda CX-5 hit the Vidals in a crosswalk. Juanita Vidal was killed.