[Updated] West Hartford Police Identify Pedestrian Fatally Struck in Crash Sunday Night
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West Hartford Police on the scene investigating a fatal pedestrian crash near the intersection of New Britain Avenue and South Main Street on June 1, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
Police on Monday identified the person who was struck and killed Sunday night in the area of the intersection of New Britain Avenue and South Main Street in West Hartford. [Updated, June 2, 12:10 p.m.]
West Hartford Police on the scene investigating a fatal pedestrian crash near the intersection of New Britain Avenue and South Main Street on June 1, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
By Ronni Newton
West Hartford Police have released the name of the person struck and killed on Sunday night on New Britain Avenue. According to Capt. Aaron Vafiades, the pedestrian has been identified as 63-year-old Stephen Mendelsohn of New Britain, CT.
Police have also released the name of the driver who struck Mendelsohn – 28-year-old Alexis Wilson of Bristol, CT. She remained on scene and was cooperative in the investigation, Vafiades said.
The incident remains under active investigation, and police have not made any arrests at this time.
The incident was reported at 9:49 p.m. on Sunday, June 1, and occurred at or near the intersection of New Britain Avenue with South Main Street, Vafiades said. When police arrived at the scene, the pedestrian was located on New Britain Avenue just west of the South Main Street intersection, and was unresponsive, he said.
Responders immediately began lifesaving measures, but the injuries were critical and Vafiades said the pedestrian, now identified as Mendelsohn, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The vehicle that struck the pedestrian was westbound on New Britain Avenue – a state-owned roadway – but it is still early in the investigation and police have not yet determined exactly where the impact occurred or whether the pedestrian was crossing the street at the time.
The driver of a vehicle that fatally struck a pedestrian in West Hartford on Sunday night remained on the scene on New Britain Avenue, just west of the intersection with South Main Street. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
The pedestrian was not immediately identified by police pending notification of next of kin, police said. Vafiades did initially confirm in response to questions from We-Ha.com that the individual who was struck was a man and was dressed in dark clothing.
The West Hartford Police Accident Reconstruction Team responded and was actively investigating the incident late Sunday night and into early Monday morning. Vafiades said the intersection of New Britain Avenue was closed until early Monday morning but has since reopened.
West Hartford Police on the scene investigating a fatal pedestrian crash near the intersection of New Britain Avenue and South Main Street on June 1, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
“The West Hartford Police Department would like to thank the West Hartford Fire Department and AMR for their efforts on scene,” Vafiades said.
Anyone with information related to the investigation is asked to contact West Hartford Police at 860-523-5203 or via the anonymous tip line 860-570-8969 or email [email protected].
This is the first fatal pedestrian crash in West Hartford in 2025. Three pedestrians were killed as a result of motor vehicle incidents in West Hartford in 2024 – two in November and one in January. The town is currently working on dozens of measures to improve road safety for all users, including quick build and long-term projects, as part of its Vision Zero Action Plan which has the ultimate goal of completely eliminating fatalities and severe injuries within a 10-year period, by 2033.
Earlier this year the Town Council received its first Vision Zero Annual Report.
Plans to convene a Vision Zero task force were announced on Christmas Day in 2022, just hours after a two-car crash on Simsbury Road at 6:49 a.m. resulted in the death of three occupants of the vehicles despite lifesaving efforts by emergency responders. In just over a week during December 2022, a total of five people had lost their lives as a result of several unrelated motor vehicle collisions in West Hartford, and another person was seriously injured. An incident in June 2022 had resulted in the death of a pedestrian in West Hartford Center, bringing the total number of traffic fatalities in West Hartford for 2022 to six.
West Hartford Police on the scene investigating a fatal pedestrian crash near the intersection of New Britain Avenue and South Main Street on June 1, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
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Enough is enough. WEHA has no problem fast tracking construction of apartments adding to the trafic congestion but when it comes to getting us life saving traffic calming measures such as what Middletown just approved, red light and speed camaras, the mayor and council hide behind bureaucracy.
As a frequent walker I have seen drivers run red lights as I am about the cross the street…this happens at least five times during my two hour walks. If these drivers got a ticket via red light and speed camaras each time they ran a light and endangered OUR LIVES, I am sure they would stop.
Enough is enough.
West Hartford is also working on getting approval of its speed enforcement cameras, and red light cameras are planned for later this year.
The town needs to go furterh and do more. I hear people alking about ” distracted pedestrians” and not to blame the drivers. I blame our traffic patterns. Check out the link below from Hoboken NJ- not a traffic death since 2017.
I am sure they have an equal amount of distracted walkers and drivers, However, what they have that we do not is the foresight to change their traffic patterns to ensure safety for walkers and bikers. West Hartford leaders has been aware for years that changing to one lane on south main throurgh the center would slow traffic and eliminate accidents and yet they refuse to make that change.
And I have no idea why.
https://www.spur.org/events/2025-03-04/vision-zero-action-how-hoboken-eliminated-traffic-deaths-and-what-we-can-learn
Tricia Haggerty Wenz June 2, 2025 at 11:48 AM – Reply
The town needs to go further and do more. I hear people talking about ” distracted pedestrians” and not to blame the drivers. I blame our traffic patterns. Check out the link below from Hoboken NJ- not a traffic death since 2017.
I am sure that Hoboken has an equal amount of distracted walkers and drivers, However, what they have that we do not is the foresight to change their traffic patterns to ensure safety for walkers and bikers. West Hartford leaders has been aware for years that changing to one lane on South Main through the center would slow traffic and eliminate accidents and yet they refuse to make that change.
And I have no idea why.
https://www.spur.org/events/2025-03-04/vision-zero-action-how-hoboken-eliminated-traffic-deaths-and-what-we-can-learn
Stephen was an amazing man and a simply wonderful human being. He worked tirelessly for the rights of the most vulnerable in our world. He will be greatly missed. What a tragedy! May his soul rest in peace
This death is just tragic news. I walk all over town everyday and I completely agree with ‘Enough is Enough’….I see cars running Red Lights at an astonishing rate! Absolutely blatant disregard for safety. Cars drive on Troutbrook and around town as if it’s a highway. I shudder to think of all the added traffic on our already crowded roads once the new apt complexes are complete. As a longtime resident of wonderful West Hartford, I feel our tranquil town has been sold out to the highest bidders. Very disheartening indeed. Too late now.
“The town is currently working on dozens of measures to improve road safety for all users, including quick build and long-term projects, as part of its Vision Zero Action Plan which has the ultimate goal of completely eliminating fatalities and severe injuries within a 10-year period, by 2033.”
10 years? Is this the best we can do? Residents deserve better.