A man driving on a Bronx expressway was killed by a gunman firing from a passing vehicle, police said Wednesday.
Nelson Caban, 24, was zipping south on the Bruckner Expressway in a Honda Accord when a sedan pulled up alongside about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, police said. Someone inside the sedan then fired at the Accord, hitting Caban in the chest and face, they said.
Caban was still in his seat when police responding to a 911 call found the car stopped next to the median between the Westchester Ave. and E. Tremont Ave. exits. Medics rushed him to Jacobi Medical Center, but he could not be saved.
His killer has not been caught.
It wasn’t clear why Caban, who lived in East Harlem, was targeted. Police haven’t ruled out road rage and are also looking to see if his slaying could be connected to a 2020 nonfatal shooting in which he was a person of interest.
A relative, who wouldn’t give his name, said Caban may have been a victim of mistaken identity.
“He was an innocent kid who got murdered in his car,” the relative said.
Caban was at a friend’s house during the 2020 shooting and used that friend’s gun to defend himself, the relative said.
“[They’re] still investigating. They don’t know, neither. It could be something else, but one thing he is not is a criminal,” the relative said. “He doesn’t have a criminal record, he never been convicted of no crime.”
Caban used to drive for Uber, and was hoping to do so again once he had resolved the 2020 case, the relative said.
“This kid has been a regular worker, he worked in Starbucks, he worked in a bakery. This kid was not a street kid,” the relative said. “He’s not a bad kid, he is like every other kid. He likes hanging out with his friends.”
Caban loved cars and music, especially the dembow genre.
“I was devastated,” the relative said. “He was a good kid. That’s all I can say.”*
With John Annese
