1 of 2 taxi drivers arrested in fatal Upper East Side hit and run

UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- One of two cab drivers have been arrested in a hit and run that left a woman dead on the Upper East Side.

Investigators say the woman stepped out from between parked cars and walked into Lexington Avenue near the corner of 68th Street around 5 a.m. when she was struck by a yellow taxi cab that did not stop.

The victim was pronounced dead at New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Police do not know the identity of the victim. They believe she was homeless.

"She was a human being, she had a name," pharmacy manager Liza Ramdyal said. "It could have been one of us. We work here. We're here all the time."

Ramdyal and other employees placed flowers outside their front door for the woman killed outside their business.

"Stop, see who it is," she said. "See if you could have saved that life."

Alberto de la Cruz had just unhitched his food cart from his vehicle.

"I walked over, and when I saw her mangled body, I felt very, very hurt," he said. "And I feel that this is a tragedy. It happens a lot in the city. People drive very fast."

The victim carried no ID, so investigators are working to determine her identity. But liquor store employee Maxim Hasan has an idea. He's pretty sure it's one of his regular customers.

"She used to come here frequently, like every other day," he said. "She used to buy Georgi vodka from us. Homeless, yeah. She used to carry the bottle from the street."

De la Cruz said Lexington Avenue at 5 a.m. is rough for pedestrians.

"At that time in the morning, people drive very, very fast between 86th and 59th streets," he said. "People come through here rolling downtown, the delivery trucks, the cab drivers. The lights are timed, and they're trying to beat all the lights."

The NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission released a statement saying, "The TLC assisted in and continues to assist in the investigation. The TLC license of the individual in custody will be suspended pending the outcome of the case."

The NYPD is looking for a second taxi driver who is now also believed to have struck the victim and left the scene.