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Teen skateboarder killed in Brooklyn hit-and-run, police say

Alejandro Tello, 18, was making his usual route home from work on his skateboard Sunday when he was hit and killed by an SUV in Brooklyn.

Tello, a Gravesend resident, was riding his skateboard into the crosswalk along Avenue T when he was hit by a white BMW SUV turning right onto West 10th Street around 3:10 p.m., according to police and video from the crash scene. The driver was captured on surveillance video fleeing the crash.

When police arrived, they found Tello unresponsive, lying in the street, they said.

Tello was on his way home from Adventurers Amusement Park on Shore Parkway, where he worked, at the time of the crash, his brother Benajmin Tello Jr., 20, said. Tello, an avid skateboarder, was “always careful” riding along Avenue T, his brother said.

“That board was always by his side since the day I passed it down to him,” Benjamin said in an email interview. “He was almost home. Just a few blocks away and he would have been here today.”

Tello was three blocks from his house on West Seventh Street when he was hit. He was taken to Maimonides Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.

Benjamin remembered his brother as an “outgoing” teen who “would go to the end of the world and back to make sure we are happy and content.”

“I believe and know he wants to make sure his friends and loved ones that he is okay. That he is still with us,” he added. “Alex reminded us that together we are strong. And I’ll carry that with me until the day I see my little brother again.”

Benjamin said he walked by the intersection Monday morning and noticed a car speeding by. But, he’s “not sure what could be done” to make it safer.

“Careless drivers will be careless drivers,” he said.

He’s currently arranging Tello’s funeral and burial services with his parents. Tello’s younger brother Juan and his family have started a GoFundMe to raise money for funeral expenses and travel. Their goal is $25,000.  

The vehicle involved in the hit-and-run was found parked on Bay 14th Street around 3 a.m. Monday, police said. The driver of the SUV remains at large and the investigation is ongoing.

With Adeja Crearer