MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Who is Pyotr Yadgarov? Real estate developer allegedly fatally struck Holocaust survivor

Yadgarov has not yet been charged after being identified as the owner of the vehicle that killed 99-year-old Jack Mikulincer in New York City

99-year-old Jack Mikulincer, who survived the Holocaust was on his way to a synagogue on February 5, 2022, when he was killed by an SUV. On February 7, police sources identified real estate developer Pyotr Yadgarov as the owner of the vehicle that struck Mikulincer. According to reports, he has not yet been charged, and it is unclear if he will be.

Road accidents have jumped up over the past few years, especially involving celebrities. On January 21, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was involved in an accident, where he was not injured. In November 2021, former Las Vegas Raiders' player Henry Ruggs was involved in a deadly car crash that killed Tina Tintor. It is believed Ruggs' consumption of alcohol led to the crash. 

RELATED ARTICLES

'There's a dead baby!' Career criminal Gary Robinson causes crash killing 9, including family of 7

Who is Olivia Peters? NFL star Deshazor Everett in fatal crash that killed co-passenger

What's not clear is how exactly Mikulincer was struck, but it could have something to do with the fact that Coleridge St at Oriental Blvd had no spotlight or crosswalk. Nonetheless, he crossed there regularly, his family said, on his way to the Manhattan Beach Jewish Center just a few blocks from his home. February 5 was just supposed to be another day, had it not been for Yadgarov.

Who is Pyotr Yadgarov?

The real estate developer is reportedly the President of PYE Properties, a Coney Island-based firm that "acquires distressed, vacant properties and development sites with an upside in value." The company's website lists the former Shore Theater, 271 Brighton Beach Avenue, and Bath & Twenty on 8746 20th Avenue as some of its projects. Beyond the firm though, there's little record of Yadgarov.

MEAWW could not find any social media links for either PYE or Yadgarov himself. Apart from a few comments on press stories about PYE's redevelopment of the Shore Theatre, there appears to be little trace of Yadgarov online. In 2017, Brooklyn Eagle reported that Yadgarov purchased the derelict site in December 2015 for $14 million. In 2020, it was reported that the site would be redeveloped as a "luxury boutique hotel" with retail space, and is expected to be complete by Q3 of 2023. 

The NY Daily News reported that the BMW X5 that hit Mikulincer was owned by Yadgarov. Public records show the vehicle was issued with six speeding tickets in 2021 alone, and a further 10 speeding tickets and four for jumping red lights since 2016. It's unclear if speeding was to be blamed for Mikulincer's death. So far, Yadgarov has not been charged, and he reportedly stayed at the scene after the accident.

According to reports, Mikulincer was originally from Hungary and even worked in the army when war broke out in Europe, before escaping and working with the Russian army. "Later on the war was over, he went back to Czechoslovakia, met his wife, and from there he went to Israel and fought in the Israeli War," his friend and fellow Holocaust survivor Jehuda Lindenblatt said. From Israel, he moved to Australia, before finally settling in New York City where he operated the Ocean View Bakery on Brighton Second Street. 

The tragic death of Mikulincer has not only affected his community but also got the attention of New York City Mayor Eric Adams. "This is a tragedy. Imagine enduring what Jack Mikulincer did in his life only for it to end like this.  We owe it to his memory to make our streets safe for all New Yorkers," the Mayor tweeted on February 7.