Driver Flees After Striking Man Near Crown Heights Intersection, Police Say
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The NYPD is looking for a driver responsible for a hit-and-run that seriously injured a pedestrian in Brooklyn on Friday.
Police say the driver hit the pedestrian near the intersection of Union Street and Albany Avenue and kept going, even though the victim was catapulted onto the car.
Surveillance video shows the man flip onto the hood of the white car when it hits him. As the car reached the intersection the victim rolls down onto the street. The car then swerves to avoid him, but keeps driving away.
The disturbing incident has many in Crown Heights on edge.
Police say it happened around noon. Emergency responders took the victim to a nearby hospital where he's being treated for serious injuries.
Now, investigators have turned their attention to finding the white Kia Optima. While the intersection is residential compared to nearby Eastern Parkway, many residents say it's often used as a shortcut.
"Albany (Avenue) is a big thoroughfare," one person said. "All the ambulances and fire trucks use Albany because it's a direct line down to the hospital, so it gets a little more traffic than some of the other streets."
Police say the victim's injuries, although serious, don't appear life threatening.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74682). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.