Woman Dies After Car Crash at Empire City Casino in Yonkers

A woman has died following a car crash at the Empire City Casino in Yonkers, Yonkers police confirmed on Wednesday. The collision took place on Monday evening, and the victim is believed to have been the driver of the vehicle.

At the scene, pieces of police tape and first responders could be seen at the spot where the crash reportedly occurred. A video circulated on social media showed the aftermath near the Yonkers Raceway, with first responders gathered around a woman beside the car.

What Is Known So Far

The public record is still thin. News 12 reported the death on June 10, and its account places the collision on Monday, June 8, two days before police confirmed that the woman had died. That report did not name her, and it included nothing from police on what caused the car to crash or whether anyone else was involved.

The crash scene sits inside a property that has long been one of the city's most important employers and taxpayers. When the sale to its current owner was announced in 2018, the Yonkers Times described Empire City as the largest employer and the largest property taxpayer in Yonkers, and both the casino and the raceway sit on the same 97-acre property.

Disbelief Among Neighbors

News 12 spoke with business owners in the area, all of whom had heard about the crash. Several said they were unsure how it could have happened, noting that the spot where the car came to rest is not normally a drivable route.

“For all my years coming to Yonkers, that's real shocking to see and to know,” said Ben Gonzalez, who works in the area.

“How did that even happen? What's the…the angle is crazy. There's not traffic on that road,” said Evan Livrieri, who lives near the casino. “How do you get into an accident like that?”

A Racetrack With More Than a Century of History

The property has been a fixture of the area for well over 100 years. Attorney and horse owner William H. Clark built a mile-long trotting track on a stretch of undeveloped forest between Yonkers and Mount Vernon, and Empire City opened on September 4, 1899, drawing a crowd of more than 12,000 on its first day. Clark died only months later, in February 1900, and the track later passed to other operators, among them James Butler and his heirs.

After a wartime closure, William H. Cane reopened it in 1950 as a harness-only venue, added night racing and gave it the Yonkers Raceway name. The Tananbaum family ran it from 1954 to 1971, and the Rooney family, better known as owners of the Pittsburgh Steelers, owned it from 1972. Video lottery gaming was added in 2006, turning the raceway into a racino. Casino.org has described the gaming floor as covering about 138,000 square feet, with roughly 4,500 video lottery terminals and electronic table game positions.

MGM's Ownership and a Shelved Expansion

MGM Resorts International announced in 2018 that it would buy Empire City Casino and Yonkers Raceway for $850 million and completed the purchase in 2019. At the time of the deal, MGM's finance chief said the property held about 40% of gross gaming revenue in its market, while the Business Council of Westchester put its workforce at more than 1,200 people and its annual visitor count at nearly 8 million. The purchase terms also included an extra $50 million payment if the venue won a license for live table games by the end of 2022. MGM describes VICI as its real estate partner in Yonkers.

Traffic and the strain on emergency services were already part of the local debate before this week. At the first public hearing on MGM's license application in August 2025, Westchester County Legislator David Tubiolo warned that the plan "will bring an increase in traffic, an increase in noise, and the need for more emergency services," while supporters pointed to promised jobs and school funding. Backers said the project would create 2,000 new direct jobs and 6,500 construction jobs.

In 2025, MGM bid for one of three downstate New York commercial casino licenses with a proposed $2.3 billion overhaul that would have added 183 live dealer table games, 14 new restaurants and bars, and a 5,000-seat entertainment venue. The local Community Advisory Committee approved the plan unanimously. On October 14, 2025, however, MGM withdrew, saying the competitive picture had changed with four proposals clustered in a small area, and that state guidance meant it expected a 15-year license rather than the 30-year term its plans assumed. Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano called the decision "nothing short of a betrayal to the people of Yonkers and Westchester County" and urged Governor Kathy Hochul to order an independent investigation. Hochul said she knew of no reason to open one, adding: "I have no evidence to suspect there is any wrongdoing."

The New York State Gaming Commission went on to approve licenses for Bally's Bronx, Resorts World New York City and Metropolitan Park on December 15, 2025, closing a race that at one point had 11 potential applicants. Each of the three licenses carries a $500 million fee. MGM said at the time of its withdrawal that Empire City had generated more than $5 billion for New York State education, $1.6 billion of it under its ownership, and that it would keep running the venue as it is.

Investigation Ongoing

Police say they are waiting for the autopsy report before releasing any additional information. Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts declined to comment.

The initial reports did not mention any charges. Until the autopsy findings are in and police release more information, the main question raised by people who work and live around the raceway, how the car came to be in that spot, remains unanswered.