Bicyclist killed in Bronx hit and run; driver fled in another car with baby
SOUNDVIEW, The Bronx (WABC) -- Police are looking for a driver in a deadly hit and run in the Bronx.
Officers say the woman drove a stolen white Jeep that struck and killed a man on a bicycle.
The white Jeep reported stolen a week and a half ago elsewhere in the Bronx, turned way too fast into the intersection of Metcalf Avenue and East 172nd Street. According to witnesses, it hit the cyclist, who would not survive his injuries.
"I ain't never seen trauma like that in my life, and I used to work in hospitals," said eyewitness Mark Crawford.
Crawford and others gathered around the cyclist, who appeared to be a young deliveryman, hoping they could help, noticing that the female driver of the Jeep calmly got out, took out a baby in a car seat that was in the vehicle, and got into another vehicle that pulled up - fleeing the scene with someone else's help.
"If the person, the driver would have just stayed on the scene, you know, all sins can be forgiven, because accidents do happen. But the fact that you knew you did wrong and you left, I have no respect for you and I hope they catch that person," said neighbor Joe Rodriguez.
After the Jeep hit the cyclist in the intersection, the Jeep then pinned the cyclist into a parked Hyundai - the impact sent it into a parked Honda and witnesses say the getaway driver who came to collect the driver of the Jeep got to the scene within minutes, before the ambulances even arrived.
"That could have been me and my daughter," said Community Advocate Michael Beltzer.
Beltzer and his daughter rode over on a bike to light a candle for the still unidentified cyclist, saying a death like this is just as violent as a shooting.
"When you get behind the wheel of a car, that's what's happening. You have a weapon. And people are driving around, and they don't think that way - and we need to shift that culture," Beltzer said.
Other neighbors agree, saying reckless driving that puts cyclists in danger should be of concern to anyone who ever gets food that arrives by bike.
"Right now, if I'm the delivery person, I'm going to be like, 'why am I going to put my life in jeopardy so you can eat or so you can have your convenience when they don't respect basic traffic rules on the road or whatever," Rodriguez added.
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