Two moped riders killed in fiery hit-and-run crash in Queens

ELMHURST, Queens (WABC) -- It was a terrifying sequence of events in Queens on Sunday. Two men on a moped drove down 57th Avenue in Elmhurst - seconds later, a hatchback barreled into two parked cars and burst into flames.

The driver of the hatchback, a Volkswagen Golf, hit and killed the moped riders before he or she ran away.

A neighbor who called 911 and watched from her home says the sound of the crash and fire truck sirens woke everyone up.

First responders arrived to take one person thrown from the moped to the hospital. The other was pronounced dead at the scene.

Firefighters got the flames out and police began their search for the driver who ditched the silver Volkswagen Golf with Illinois plates. The NYPD's Collision Investigation Squad has what is left of the car, and is working to identify him.

Police say the driver failed to negotiate a curve on 57th Avenue and was likely going too fast and taking it too wide, causing him to hit the moped head-on.



Police have still not identified the moped driver or passenger. The moped was not registered.

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