Hit-And-Run Driver Who Mowed Down Williamsburg Cyclist Convicted Of Manslaughter

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — The hit-and-run driver who fatally mowed down Matthew von Ohlen in a Williamsburg bike lane last summer has been convicted of manslaughter, according to prosecutors

Juan Maldonado, 57, has been found guilty of crushing the 35-year-old cyclist as he drove his black Chevy Camaro down Grand Street near Manhattan Avenue on July 2, 2016 around 2:40 a.m., prosecutors said.

Maldonado swerved into the Grand Street bike lane, ran through a red light then hit von Ohlen while he was riding his bicycle, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office.

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Von Ohlen was knocked into the street, crushed by the car then dragged about 20 feet as Maldonado fled from his crime, said prosecutors.

Surveillance footage uploaded by the New York Post shows Maldonado driving away without hesitation.

Von Ohlen, a Minneapolis native and co-founder of the bike repair company Bikestock, was rushed to Bellevue hospital but his injuries proved fatal, said prosecutors.

Maldonado was arrested four months later and tried in Brooklyn Criminal Court, where he was convicted of reckless manslaughter, leaving the scene of an incident and reckless driving, said prosecutors.

The Williamsburg resident could face up 15 years in prison when sentenced on Oct. 18, said prosecutors.

Maldonado’s attorney Howard Kirsch declined to comment on his client’s conviction.

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