54-Year-Old Man Killed By Hit-And-Run Driver Crossing Brooklyn Street
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A man is dead after police say he was mowed down by a hit-and-run driver overnight in Brooklyn.
The search continues for a white BMW and the driver who fled the scene.
Police were called around 11 p.m. Wednesday to Rockaway Parkway near Lenox Road, where the 54-year-old victim was lying in the roadway with severe trauma. He was rushed to Brookdale Hospital and pronounced dead.
CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis spoke with a neighbor who heard a crash noise from his window and thought it was loud enough to be two cars colliding.
"Seemed like a vehicle hit another one, just the sound of it. And there was a very upset middle-aged man," the man named Brian said.
"Cops come down, the fire department. Looked on my Citizen, and that's when I noticed what happened down there," another resident, Jimmy Ahtay, added.
The NYPD's collision investigation squad determined the victim was trying to cross Rockaway Parkway when he was hit by the BWM traveling south. DeAngelis was told he was not in the crosswalk when he was struck.
"[The driver] should have stopped and at least tried to help him out," said a resident named Ruth.
The woman lives near the intersection and said people drive recklessly up and down Rockaway Parkway.
"It's been very busy, the road, and there's been a lot of speeding going on, because you can hear the engines," she said.
"When I'm around, I find people do drive recklessly -- speeding, especially," resident Ken Cumberbotch added.
The latest data from the city's Vision Zero database shows at least 57 pedestrians have been fatally struck in the city this year. The Department of Transportation says there have been no fatalities and one severe injury at that intersection.
"Need to slow down. Need to slow down," said Ahtay.
Anyone with information about the driver is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
