BY KEVIN DUGGAN
The city will redesign
deadly McGuinness Boulevard
in Greenpoint after a
hit-and-run driver killed a beloved
area teacher, Mayor Bill
de Blasio announced Thursday.
“We are putting money in
the budget immediately to redesign
and fi x McGuinness
Boulevard once and for all,” de
Blasio said at a rally in McGolrick
Park May 27. “We’re going
to apply vision zero right
here right now on McGuinness
Boulevard because it’s
long overdue.”
Matthew Jensen, who
taught at nearby PS 110 on
Monitor Street, was killed
by the driver of a black Rolls-
Royce sedan in the early
hours of May 18 at the corner
of Bayard Street right near
an entrance to the Brooklyn-
Queens Expressway.
“Everyone from PS 110,
Back to Life. Back to BMCC.
COURIER L 4 IFE, JUNE 4-10, 2021
I’m so sorry that you’re gathered
here in pain and mourning.
Mathew Jensen wanted
to help kids,” the mayor said.
“He is gone because of a hit
and run crash. He is gone because
someone killed him and
left the scene, and this is what
happens too often.”
Five-lane McGuinness Boulevard
has long been a treacherous
speedway splitting the
north Brooklyn nabe in half
and some 200 residents, former
students of Jensen’s and
their parents, along with safe
streets activists and elected
offi cials gathered Thursday to
demand action.
“Over 15 people have been
seriously injured or killed
on the McGuinness Boulevard,”
said Greenpoint Assemblymember
Emily Gallagher.
“Every single one of
us knows that it could be any
one of us to be killed there. If
we don’t do something, something
meaningful, there will
be many more who will die on
the McGuinness Boulevard.”
One family member remembered
the morning he got
the terrible call about Jensen’s
killing on a roadway he’d
crossed many times before.
“I got the call in the morning
and after I fi gured out
what Matthew they were talking
about and then somehow
through the fog I heard it was
McGuinness Boulevard and
I wasn’t surprised,” said his
cousin John through tears.
The relative held up Jensen’s
busted phone and house
keys recovered from the crash
scene and remembered his
cousin fondly as someone who
cherished his Christian faith
and who had a good sense of
humor.
“Matthew did many things
unto people and those of you
who escaped his humor are
rare and lucky,” John said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio promised to fund a redesign of McGuinness Boulevard
in this year’s budget. Photo by Dean Moses
“He wasn’t afraid of a joke or a
sentence or an opinion.”
One former student said
the late Brooklynite was beloved
by all.
“Mr. Jensen was really a
great teacher, and he was very
special to everyone. Everyone
loved him and everyone
thought he was a good teacher.
He was just a good person
in general. He made a lot of
people feel better,” Benjamin
Ginsburg said.
The mourners marched
from McGolrick Park to the
crash site where they laid fl owers
in Jensen’s memory.
‘He was special’
Mayor pledges to fund fi x for deadly McGuinness
Blvd after teacher killed in hit-and-run
TEXT OR CALL: (347) 305-4497
www.bmcc.cuny.edu/cng
/cng
/cng