Police on Sunday identified a 32-year-old Long Island woman as the Uber passenger who was killed after she apparently jumped from the moving ride-share car and was struck by another vehicle on the Long Island Expressway.
Priyanka Sewhani, of Oyster Bay, was pronounced dead at the scene early Saturday morning after she “exited” a 2019 Volkswagen Passat traveling eastbound while sitting in the backseat, police said.
After Sewhani left the car near the Kissena Boulevard exit near Flushing, she was “unknowingly” hit by another vehicle in the left lane, authorities said.
The Uber driver remained at the scene, but the operator of the car that struck her did not, police said.
It’s unclear why Sewhani reportedly leaped from the vehicle.
All four eastbound lanes were closed temporarily in the aftermath of the incident so the NYPD highway patrol could investigate.
An Uber spokesperson said in an email the ride-share company would cooperate in any probe.
“We’re holding the rider’s loved ones in our hearts in the wake of this horrific tragedy,” the spokesperson said. “We stand ready to support law enforcement with their investigation however we can.”