Man Critically Injured In East New York Hit-And-Run
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police are searching for a driver after they say a hit-and-run in Brooklyn left a man critically injured.
It happened around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Sutter and Georgia avenues in East New York.
In exclusive surveillance video, the man is seen crossing the street. He makes it about half way across when he is struck by a car, but the driver kept going and never appears to slow down, CBS2's Marc Liverman reported.
"I couldn't even look at the video. I was like, 'I don't want to see it.' It's too horrifying," the victim's barber Dwayne Smith said.
Smith said the two would catch upon sports every time he'd come in for a cut.
"Sports, you know he liked basketball, he likes the Brooklyn Nets. He's a real down to earth guy, he's nice, respectful. If he was sitting here you wouldn't even notice him. He's quiet," he said.
The victim was thrown more than a dozen feet in the air before landing further down Sutter Avenue. His name has not been released, but police say he's in his 60s and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
"They blocked off the whole block from here to there," area resident Carmelo Otero said. "There was police, ambulances all over out here."
Otero says the man hung around the area.
"He looked out for people and he helped people out," Otero said. "I was two or three blocks away and when he got hit we came down. They had already taken him away."
Area resident Pete Sanchez says the victim is the type of guy who would always say hello.
"All we can do is pray for him," he said. "Let's hope he pulls through good because I'm praying for that."
Seconds after hitting the man, the driver comes speeding through the intersection again, this time coming dangerously close to hitting someone on a skateboard, Liverman said.
So far, police say they're searching for a dark-colored sedan but they haven't released any other information.
Police have put up a sign at the intersection asking anyone who might have seen it happen to come forward.
