Police: 3 dead, 2 injured in five separate NYC hit-and-runs
NEW YORK -- Police are searching for several drivers after five hit-and-runs were reported in four boroughs early Sunday morning, reports CBS New York.
Three people were killed and two others were injured over the course of several hours, according to the station. A spokesperson for Mayor De Blasio told CBS New York that the NYPD is "aggressively" investigating each case.
"Investigators are examining video footage from the area of each crash to identify those responsible to hold them accountable," Wiley Norvell, with the Office of the Mayor, told the station.
Police released new surveillance video of the car being sought in connection with the hit-and-run crash in Brooklyn. The incident occurred just before 5 a.m. Sunday, in which a suspect went through a red light and hit a 41-year-old man who was crossing the street, police say.
The driver didn't stop and the victim was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to police.
Officials say the suspect was seen driving a late model light brown or tan four-door Nissan Altima. The vehicle was also missing a passenger side mirror, had a broken bumper and an inoperable passenger side headlight and fog light.
At the same time of the Brooklyn crash, police say 48-year-old Uber driver Besik Shenglia died after being hit by an unidentified vehicle in Queens. Police reportedly believe he was struck while getting items from the back seat of his car.
A 22-year-old woman was also hit by another car in Queens around 4:30 a.m. Sunday. The victim is in stable condition and police have said they're looking for a silver minivan, according to CBS New York.
Police say that a 30-year-old man was struck and seriously injured in lower Manhattan about an hour before. There is no word on the victim's condition, according to the station.
Police also say around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, 63-year-old Jose Contreras was struck by a black SUV in the Bronx and was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Contreras had been at a family birthday party at a catering hall before he was killed, according to CBS New York.
Even before this weekend, the NYPD had reportedly stated that 17 other pedestrians had already died in 2016. City officials have called for more to be done to get hit-and-run drivers behind bars, according to the station.
City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer reportedly suggested to increase the budget for NYPD's collision investigation squad in order to pursue more of these crashes.
"We need to make sure that they know that there will be consequences for these actions. Serious consequences," Van Bramer added.
While at the Bronx crash site, City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez called for all five suspected drivers to turn themselves in, according to CBS New York.
"Hitting someone with your car and driving away is cowardly and despicable and those that do it must be made an example of," Rodriguez said.