Driver Wanted After Jeep Plows Into Family On Bronx Sidewalk; 'Car Sped Up To Hit Us,' Witness Says
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police are searching for the driver of a Jeep that plowed into a family on a Bronx sidewalk on Sunday.
Detectives spent the day canvassing the area. They're looking for clues into what may have caused the vehicle to hop a curb and hit six people, CBS2's Kiran Dhillon reported.
Surveillance video captured the moments right after the crash. People are seen running after the Jeep mounts a sidewalk and strikes several members of the same family, pinning two of them under the vehicle in the process.
"A car sped up to hit us. I don't know why, just 'cause it came for us," a man named Marcus said.
Marcus said he and his family were attending a gathering at a park in the Claremont section of the borough. The family had just picked up their belongings and moved to the sidewalk near Sheridan Avenue and East 170th Street when the Jeep came barreling at them.
"We just came here to chill and have a small gathering and we were just talking like normally and then a car came out of nowhere and hit us," Marcus said.
Police said of the people hit, two were 16-year-old boys. One of them, along with a 34-year-old woman, were pinned under the Jeep. Five of the victims suffered minor injuries, but police said the 34-year-old woman suffered severe trauma to her body and is in critical condition.
Another man said several of his family members were struck, adding the vehicle was going 60 to 70 mph.
Meanwhile, the family said it believes they were intentionally targeted.
Members told CBS2 that following the crash they grabbed the driver and a male passenger in an attempt to hold them for police, but shots were fired nearby.
They believe the shots were meant to scare them into releasing the two, which they eventually did.
Both the male driver and passenger then ran off on foot.
"It wasn't an accident because the way they came from, they were speeding up for us. It was way too quick," Marcus said.
Police said the investigation is ongoing, but they are looking into whether the shooting was connected to the crash.
CBS2's Hazel Sanchez, Kiran Dhillon and Christina Fan contributed to this report. The story was first posted on Sunday, June 20.