CRASH KILLS CYBER WHIZ
UES ‘hacker,’ 30, hit by SUV
A young cybersecurity research firm founder has died after she spent several days fighting for her life from being struck by a speeding SUV on the Upper East Side during last week’s rain showers, cops said.
Sophia D’Antoine, the 30-year-old founder of Margin Research, died on Friday — three days after she was struck by a speeding 2017 Land Rover about half a block from her apartment, police said.
The horrifying crash occurred as D’Antoine was crossing York Avenue at East 87th Street around 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
After hitting D’Antoine, the Land Rover, driven by a 72-year-old man, hit a taxi head-on, sending the vehicle smashing into a parked, unoccupied 2022 Ford Explorer, police said.
Records show D’Antoine lived on East 87th Street, about half a block from the corner where the tragic accident unfolded. She founded Margin Research, a boutique New York City-based research firm, in 2018, according to the company’s website.
A website for a cybersecurity event she previously attended described D’Antoine as the “Hacker in Residence” at NYU.
D’Antoine was rushed to Weill Cornell Medical Center in critical condition following the crash and remained in critical condition for several days before succumbing to her injuries on Friday.
The 62-year-old taxi driver was taken to New York City Health + Hospitals Elmhurst in stable condition.
The driver of the Land Rover remained on the scene.
The Land Rover had been cited for speeding in a school zone five times in three years, according to traffic-summons data reviewed by Upper East Site.
The taxi that was involved had also been caught by traffic cameras speeding in a school zone 13 times in less than two years, the outlet reported.
The NYPD has not arrested anyone in the case, though the investigation remains ongoing.