Good Samaritan helps chase down driver, occupants of car involved in wrong-way crash in Rockland County
BLAUVELT, N.Y. -- Dramatic video shows good Samaritans rushing to aid victims Saturday after a wrong-way driver caused a bad crash in Rockland County.
Police say that driver and three friends, all from England, fled the scene on foot. CBS2's Tony Aiello spoke with a man who helped chase them down.
"It was a very bad decision. I mean, they left an accident where kids were very critically injured, and they were little kids," Jon Ten Eyck said.
Ten Eyck knew something was up midday Saturday when he heard a terrible crash on Route 303. The moment of impact was captured on surveillance video.
Ten Eyck quickly saw several young men running from the scene towards the nearby Metro-North tracks. He said he grabbed one and was shocked by his reaction.
"His only concern was to have his phone," Ten Eyck said, adding when asked if he showed any concern for the injured, "No. All his concern was, 'I want to get up and go get my phone.'"
Orangetown police say four young men ran from a BMW, which had blown past two "Do Not Enter" signs and drove the wrong way down Greenbush Road in Blauvelt and right into oncoming traffic on 303, causing a head-on collision with a Chevy Cruze.
Three adults were inside with six children. The crash critically injured two boys, ages 6 and 7.
Aiello got reaction from a resident near the scene.
"It was very sad and very scary. Really sorry to hear people were injured," said Brady Amoonclark of Blauvelt.
Police say the wrong-way driver was 20-year-old Thomas Robb of Harlow, England, a suburb of London.
Orangetown Police Chief Donald Butterworth said evidence so far puts responsibility clearly on Robb.
"I'm pretty certain that England has one-way streets that are clearly marked and you should understand the 'wrong way' and a one-way street," Butterworth said.
A driver fleeing the scene of a serious injury accident is a bad idea in England, or anywhere. In New York, it's a felony that carries up to four years in prison.
Robb is also charged with felony assault and reckless endangerment.