(photo credit: Chance Bliss)
If you live on Clinton Street near President Street, you may have heard a huge crash at about 9:30 pm last night. It was the result of an accident involving four cars. The driver who may have caused the crash seems to have fled the scene.
PMFA reader Chance Bliss lives nearby and immediately came out of his building to offer assistance.
He sent us this account of the accident:
Hey Katia,
Just so you know, there was a four car collision / hit and run just under thirty minutes ago, at the intersection of Clinton Street and President Street.
We heard the loud collision outside our window, over a block away, and then I ran over to the intersection to see what had happened.
When I arrived, there were already a dozen or so bystanders.
Several of them called 911 as I was there, while a friend of ours hailed down a police car at the intersection of Clinton Street and Union, who promptly ignored him and drove off down Clinton Street, away from the accident.
This happened again about five minutes later - another patrol car came down Union street, presumably from the 76th precinct, and several people ran towards the car, waving at it, but the driver ignored them, even though i could see that he look down the street in our direction, and proceeded to drive off down clinton street, towards Atlantic.
We waited over twenty-five minutes before anyone from the police or emergency services showed up.
One of the cars that was hit was a green cab - the driver said that he was moving down Clinton Street towards Atlantic when his taxi was hit by a white car in the middle of the intersection. According to the eyewitness I spoke with, this white car then proceeded to hit another parked car before driving off down President Street towards Henry. One person who was parking his citibike on President, near Henry, saw the car speeding towards him, then gave chase.
When I left the scene a few minutes ago, he was giving his account to the police officer who had arrived.
The driver of the taxi cab was dazed and seemed to be in a bit of shocked, but had no visible injuries.
In any event, it's outrageous that the police completely disregarded several attempts to reach them, and that it took emergency services over 25 minutes to arrive.
One of the cars that was hit was a green cab - the driver said that he was moving down Clinton Street towards Atlantic when his taxi was hit by a white car in the middle of the intersection. According to the eyewitness I spoke with, this white car then proceeded to hit another parked car before driving off down President Street towards Henry. One person who was parking his citibike on President, near Henry, saw the car speeding towards him, then gave chase.
When I left the scene a few minutes ago, he was giving his account to the police officer who had arrived.
The driver of the taxi cab was dazed and seemed to be in a bit of shocked, but had no visible injuries.
In any event, it's outrageous that the police completely disregarded several attempts to reach them, and that it took emergency services over 25 minutes to arrive.
That is rather a long time for police to respond to several 911 calls. The crash site is just around the corner from the 76th Precinct on Union Street. Why would the patrol cars just drive by without at least offering assistance?
Did anyone else witness the crash or call 911? Let us hear from you.
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16 comments:
Did the white car look like this by any chance?
I'm not surprised. The 76th is morally bankrupt when it comes to controlling car speeds. Court St in particular is dangerous, with the lights all timed in sync, but Hamilton and Hicks are death traps.
Ahhh....the good ole' 76. They still go by Reagan motto: “I've heard that hard work never killed anyone, but I say why take the chance?”
The blue Mini Cooper in the picture is mine. Thank you to my neighbors for being vigilant and taking the time to make sure the police were called! It is so wonderful to live in a neighborhood where we look out for eachother. I wish I could thank the person who chased the runaway driver in person.
I was hit by a car, hit and run in 2014. Not only did the police take a while to show up, the police officer said at the scene (which is hazy because I was injured and in shock) that there was nothing he could do and wouldn't make a report) ridiculous ! Later when I recovered two days later I went to the police station to ask about a report. They berated me and called me a liar for not knowing the name of the officer that reported to the scene (are you kidding- I was just hit by a car, excuse me). They refused to give me a report saying that I was a liar and that it must not have happened. Eventually they remembered haha and gave me a report. What an embarrassment of an NYPD.
Seriously
Hopefully the resident in the Apothecary building still has the camera set up to film people who don't pick up their dog poop on that corner, near that new tree. They should have a shot of the car.
I heard someone speeding down President right after the crash, and it was definitely the person who hit and run as it sounded like the car was dragging parts of it. I didn't get to the window in time to see anything, though.
Absolutely deplorable! Please, please find out where and who you can make a formal complaint about the police. Remember they are public servants and their salaries are paid by us!
The NYPD isn't that great when it comes to hit and runs. Matthew von Ohlen was killed over the summer by a hit and run. The cops tracked down the car involved yet there's still been no arrest.
Whats up with the dudes over the past 3 weeks speeding up and down Clinton and Court? They are usually out front of the old church/now apts on Clinton and 1st. Working on their souped up VW and Ford. My daughter wants to say something, but we are afraid they want to fight. Very thuggy looking.
The other day I was biking with my kids on Columbia at the Degraw intersection, A huge SUV ignored the red light and speed across it!!!! There was three police officer right there!!! None of them said a thing! I was so chocked by that that I did not said a thing and when I realized the situation we were few blocks away and I thought it was too late to yell at the police... I SO regret it now. What a shame
I live on that corner. It was a young guy who ran the light on President and hit the cab on Clinton St. He fled the scene but came back in his very damaged car with his father, and gave a statement to the NYPD. No one got hurt.
I just received the police report, and it does not reflect the details shared on this page, nor the details I heard from neighbors on Clinton Street. It basically states that both drivers claim that their light was green, and they collided. There is no mention of the driver in the white car leaving the scene of the accident and no witness reports. This is causing issues for me with how the damage to my car is going to be covered. My insurance company told me that if I can provide the names and phone numbers of witnesses, that would help. If you would be willing to be a witness, please email me at ckfroeb31@gmail.com.
Thanks so much,
Christina
Christina, 212 President Street has a video camera. Perhaps it shows the driver fleeing?
Cristina Froeb, how did you get the police report? We are the Hyundai Santa Fe involved in the accident, and the 76th precinct keeps telling us the report is not available yet. Our ins. co. wants a copy. Richard Comerford
What a surprise, the police falsified the report. I hope the car owners here are able to track down footage of what actually happened. I wonder who the kid's father is (referenced in the 933 post above).
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