A 13-year-old boy was struck and killed by a car Saturday while riding his bike near his home.
Henry Garcia, a resident of 78 Street in the Bath Beach section of Brooklyn, was hit just before 3 p.m. Saturday.
The child had been pedaling northbound on 20th Avenue when he fell off the bike. A green Ford Explorer, also traveling northbound on 20th Avenue, hit him and fled the scene, cops said.
Police found Garcia unconscious and unresponsive, and by the time he was rushed to Cornell Hospital, he was pronounced dead. Police have not yet made any arrests in the case.
Garcia’s tragic death comes the same day Metro announced the results of a poll that finds most New Yorkers want police to do more to stop speeding drivers in their neighborhoods.
Last week, Transportation Alternatives partnered with Metro to ask our readers: Do you believe the police are doing enough to curb speeding in your neighborhood? Readers were asked to text their answers with a simple “yes” or “no” response.
The survey had 258 responses. Just 21 people said yes, while 237 said NYPD is not doing nearly enough to combat speeding.
“Speeding kills—it’s the number one contributing factor in fatal motor vehicle crashes in New York City,” said Paul Steely White, director of Transportation Alternatives. “The city’s 30 mile per hour speed limit needs to be enforced, and this survey suggests that’s not happening nearly enough.”
White urged legislators in Albany to pass the Neighborhood Speeds for Neighborhood Streets Act, which would launch a speed camera program in the five boroughs.
