A hit-and-run marred the first day of school in a Brownsville neighborhood Thursday morning.
Police say four people were injured in the crash, which involved two cars in front of P.S./I.S. 323 at approximately 1 a.m. The accident happened after a Chevy Impala traveled the wrong way on Chester street before crashing into a Nissan Altima at Sutter Avenue. The Nissan had up to four occupants inside and it was reproted that the vehicle was stuck on the passenger side. Some parked vehicles were also impacted by the crash, according to reports.
One 27-year-old man is reportedly in critical condition, whereas other occupants of the car have less serious injuries, ABC reports.
The force of the Impala flipped the car, which then caught on fire. When officials arrived on the scene, occupants of the Impala had already fled.
Residents told ABC that the area does not have speed bumps, which they think could be part of the issue.
Neighbor Louis Burns told ABC that, “This block doesn’t have speed bumps, and a lot of drivers tend to pass through here doing exorbitant speeds without any consideration that they’re children in a school.”
Another resident, Anthony Mark, told ABC, “It’s unfortunate, because even on that corner on there, I think we need a speed bump over there… Because things always happen in this area.”
News of this dramatic crash comes within a day of Mayor de Blasio announcing an expansion of NYPD enforcement around school areas as part of the Vision Zero plan. The other part of the plan is to up the number of speeds cameras in school zones, to cut down on traffic violations. It is not clear at this point in time if this area is that it already has speed cameras or not.
Outlets have reported that no one involved in the incident has been identified. As of Thursday afternoon, the investigation was still ongoing.
