NEW YORK — A hit-and-run driver in Brooklyn killed a woman and critically injured her daughter days before Mother’s Day.
Detectives said the driver got out of the car and ran after crashing into 71-year-old Juanita Vidal and her 44-year-old daughter, who were walking on Elder Street near Knickerbocker Avenue in Bushwick, on Thursday evening.
First responders rushed the women to the hospital, where Vidal died. Andrea Harris, a neighbor, said she was a devoted mother and grandmother.
“It’s very sad what happened. I’m still in shock because I literally just seen her a day ago,” said Harris. “Very loving family, always with the grandchildren, with the kids. So it’s really sad.”
Driver fled traffic stop, NYPD says
Moments before the fatal crash, surveillance video shows a blue car apparently speeding through a 4-way intersection, followed by an NYPD car.
Investigators said officers were trying to pull over the driver for a traffic infraction, but they took off. NYPD did not say what the infraction was.
“Boom! Like an explosion,” said Sandra Villaman, who saw the crash. “It was very fast when the police was chasing them. This vehicle was very fast.”
Rodrigo Gonzalez, another neighbor, ran outside when he heard the car crash into his van parked on the street.
“I came out and I saw that my van was pressed up against the tree, and I just ran over here. And when I ran over here, the ladies were on the floor,” said Gonzalez. “It’s a shock. It leaves you speechless.”
The driver was still on the run, police said Friday.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
