Suspect arrested years after 74-year-old food delivery worker struck and killed in Queens

Wednesday, February 11, 2026
QUEENS, New York (WABC) -- The suspect, who police say fatally struck a 74-year-old DoorDash delivery driver in 2022 and then fled the country, has been returned to Queens to face justice.

Florin Stoian, 30, was arrested on a slew of charges, including manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, assault and arson.

The victim, Be Tran, was struck and killed by a speeding hit-and-run driver as he crossed Myrtle Avenue in Ridgewood on August 14 of that year. He was making his final delivery of the night.

Be Tran



The BMW was later found set on fire in a blaze that spread to six or seven homes.



Stoian, a Romanian national, fled through Michigan and eventually Canada, with the NYPD tracking his credit card use.

He made it to his native Ireland, through the Netherlands and then to Germany, where he was arrested for pickpocketing and other thefts.



He spent three years in prison on theft charges and was released Tuesday -- into the hands of the USA.

Detectives said he was affiliated with an organized frime group out of Romania that created fraudulent documents like passports.



He was put on a flight to John F. Kennedy International Airport and arrived back to New York on Tuesday afternoon.

Ahead of his arraignment, Stoian seemingly admitted his guilt and apologized to the victim's family.

"This was an accident and that's all, I didn't want to do it, I don't know this family or this guy...it just happened, I was scared because I have family, I was illegal in the United States, so that's why I did run away," Stoian said. "I am very sorry and I don't know how to say sorry to his family."

The judge denied bail and he will be back in court on April 2nd.

"Believe me I don't know because I don't have no words for his family, what to say. I can not see them in the eyes," Stoian said.



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