Brutal Staten Island Hit-And-Run Caught On Camera; Victim Somehow Walks Out Of Hospital Next Day
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police are on the hunt for a hit-and-run driver on Staten Island.
The dramatic moment was caught on camera, as a woman was struck while crossing the street in the Huguenot section of the borough.
The driver took off, but somehow the victim survived.
MORE: Police Looking For Driver In Staten Island Hit-And-Run
A deli owner told CBS2's Natalie Duddridge he witnessed that woman get hit. He said he sees her walking home from the train station every night at 8:40 and was watching last week as she was struck. He said he ran out of his store to help, and also tried to chase down the driver.
Surveillance video shows the shocking moment a car strikes a 55-year-old woman, sending her flying into the air. The car stops for a moment but then it reverses and flees the scene.
The co-owner of the Qwik Stop Deli saw the whole thing unfold and called 911.
"After the guy backed up he got into the next-door restaurant parking lot. They were cleaning the garbage in the back. He almost ran over another two guys. Afterwards, got out and hit the highway," Mohd Alarab said.
Police said the hit-and-run happened on Sept. 5, just before 9 p.m. on Huguenot Avenue. Detectives said the woman had just left the train station and was crossing the street when she was struck.
The video shows another car stopping and two people coming out and running to her aid. She was rushed to Staten Island University Hospital in serious but stable condition with pain in her back and legs. The deli owner said he doesn't know her by name, but to his surprise he saw her walk to the train station the very next morning.
"Crazy thing, she walked out the next day of the hospital. That's what I couldn't believe," Alarab said. "I asked her, 'How are you doing?' (She) says, 'I'm OK, in a lot of pain but no broken bones, nothing like that.'"
Police have been searching all week for the driver of a dark-colored four-door sedan. People who live and work in the area said they hope cops find that person quick.
"It's shocking the way that he hit 'em, but it's even more shocking that he backs up," Huguenot resident Robert Cancelleri said. "What kind of person does that? That, to me, is more shocking than anything else"
Witnesses told CBS2's Duddridge they got a glimpse of the driver, who appeared to be a man, but said they couldn't catch the license plate before the car took off. Police said if you recognize the vehicle to give them a call.
