MALDEN, MASS. (WHDH) - Authorities have identified the elderly woman who was killed in a car crash while walking down the street in Malden Monday.
An investigation is underway after 86-year-old Athena Hartwell was struck by fatally struck by an SUV that crashed through a repair shop door as she walked along a sidewalk next to Hunting Street, according to a joint release issued by Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Malden Chief of Police Kevin Molis.
A preliminary investigation indicates Hartwell was walking near the area of Salem Street when a 28-year-old Malden man in a black Toyota RAV4 struck her.
Detectives learned that he was in the vehicle on the property of an auto body shop located across the street when the vehicle crashed through the door of the shop and traveled across the street before striking the woman.
“He fell out of the car, he was in a daze, he was taken to hospital, he had no idea what was going on,” said Estaban Brito, a man who heard the crash.
Hartwell was pronounced dead at the scene.
She lived in a nearby assisted living facility, authorities said.
The driver has been cited for operation of a motor vehicle with a suspended license.
His name is not being released at this time and a court date has not been scheduled.
(Copyright (c) 2025 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)