Boston police said the suspect stole a car after an earlier collision, then struck a woman on the sidewalk.
BOSTON, Mass. — A Mattapan street turned into a crime scene Saturday afternoon after a stolen car hit and killed a woman on the sidewalk and witnesses helped stop the accused driver, police said.
The suspect, identified by police as Ibraim Matos, 37, of Hyde Park, was arrested after the crash near Blue Hill Avenue and Fairway Street. Police said he is charged with murder, carjacking and two counts tied to leaving crash scenes that caused death and injury.
The violence began shortly before 2 p.m. in the area of Blue Hill Avenue and Woodhaven Street, police said. Investigators said Matos was involved in a crash, left that damaged vehicle and ran toward a car wash nearby. There, police said, he approached a woman who was waiting in her car.
The woman told police Matos pulled her from the vehicle and drove off. Witness Javier Fernandez, who was at the car wash, described the scene as sudden and forceful. He said the man opened the door, removed the woman and then drove the wrong way on Blue Hill Avenue toward Mattapan Square.
Police said the stolen vehicle sped along the avenue, went onto the sidewalk and struck an adult woman. She was found unresponsive when officers arrived and was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities had not released her name by Monday morning while they continued notifying relatives.
The vehicle kept moving after the fatal impact, police said. It hit another vehicle near Fairway Street, then continued until it struck an MBTA bus near 1629 Blue Hill Avenue. Witnesses said the bus stopped the vehicle’s path before the suspect could leave the area.
Dailina Duverne, who saw the aftermath, said bystanders rushed to the car and pulled the driver out. She said the man struggled as people held him for police. “He tried to run away and a lot of guys held him down,” Duverne told WBZ-TV.
Officers arrived to find a crowd around the crashed car and several community members restraining the suspect, police said. Matos was taken into custody and later transported to a hospital for treatment. Police did not say whether any other people suffered serious injuries.
The case moves next to Dorchester District Court, where Matos was expected to be arraigned Monday. Investigators are reviewing surveillance video, crash damage and witness accounts from multiple points along Blue Hill Avenue.
Author note: Last updated June 22, 2026.