Tragic Accident Raises Questions About Circumstances

Michael Traeger, whose wife Karla passed away in a traffic accident in Queens, New York, in May, expressed concerns about the circumstances surrounding her death. He spoke with the Daily Wire, suggesting that the driver, Dawood Faisal, had a troubling background—including being charged with a hate crime for vandalizing a kosher bagel shop owned by Jews.

Karla Traeger, 71, was a journalist and a well-respected member of the Hollis Hills Jewish community. On May 25, she suffered fatal injuries when a car, driven by Faisal, who is 22, crashed into two vehicles, with one of them striking her and her husband as they crossed a street.

According to prosecutors, Faisal was speeding—over 115 mph in a 35 mph zone. He ran through two red lights before colliding with the car. After the crash, he reportedly ran away on foot but was restrained by bystanders until police arrived.

Karla suffered severe head injuries and succumbed to them four days later. Michael sustained a shoulder injury, along with cuts and bruises.

In June, a grand jury in Queens indicted Faisal on multiple charges, including second-degree manslaughter and reckless driving. He has pleaded not guilty. Notably, he hasn’t faced hate crime charges related to Karla’s death.

Faisal was arrested on July 31 by the New York City Police Department’s Hate Crimes Task Force. He faced multiple mischief charges as a hate crime linked to an unrelated incident at Bagels & Company, a Jewish-owned restaurant in Queens, where he allegedly displayed inflammatory banners and flags. Reports suggest this vandalism occurred before the fatal accident.

The store is nearly at the same location as the accident, and the Traeger family has questioned whether earlier actions against Faisal might have impacted the tragic outcome. Michael mentioned that while he doesn’t think his wife was specifically targeted, the area is predominantly Jewish.

He reflected on the incident, noting, “If you were going to do something like that in that area at that time… you were likely going to kill a Jew.” In an emotional moment after the crash, he found himself punching his own arm to assure himself he was still alive, only to realize his wife’s grave condition.

Michael described the shock: “I couldn’t believe this happened… We were crossing the street, and the next thing we knew, we were on the ground.” He also recounted seeing Faisal’s mother in tears during her son’s arraignment, leading him to wonder whether her pain stemmed from her worries for her son or from the tragic loss of his wife.