Driver allegedly hits pregnant woman putting baby into car, drives into Gowanus Canal

NEW YORK (WABC) -- A pregnant woman was putting her 1-year-old daughter into her car when she was struck by a driver zooming by.

He took off and then drove right into the highly toxic Gowanus Canal.

"He was a little out of it," said Maurice Deas, an eyewitness.

Eyewitness Maurice Deas shot cellphone video of driver Matthew Murphy as he scrambled from the car just seconds after it hit the water around 11:15 Monday morning.

"I would say he was a little delirious. He kept saying like the ice made him slip and he was trying to stop. Honestly, I didn't see any brake lights you know," Deas said.

Police now say Murphy was the same driver involved in a hit-and-run about four blocks away.

Surveillance cameras captured the moment a car making a left off of Court onto Degraw, suddenly sideswiped a Toyota Camry where a mother was about to remove her 1-year-old daughter from the back seat.

The dark sedan just kept on going. Onlookers rushed to help the woman and child who were not seriously hurt.

Just minutes later, emergency crews were on banks of the Gowanus, where a dark sedan was partially submerged. The driver taken into custody.

36-year-old Murphy is charged with leaving the scene of an accident and reckless endangerment.