The Halloween horror unfolded just before 5 p.m. as a group of costumed
trick-or-treaters walked down a quiet residential block in the Morris
Park neighborhood of the Bronx.
A 52-year-old man behind the wheel of the black Dodge Charger went
careering into the group of pedestrians on a sidewalk and then smashed
through a fence in front of a home, police said. The car was left
teetering on a brick wall. A child's shoe and remnants of mangled
stroller lay on the sidewalk just feet away.
Moments before the car jumped the sidewalk, the man had crossed over a
double yellow line in the road after bumping into the back of a Toyota
Camry, police said.
"There was a family of kids trick-or-treating, walking behind me,"
Kristina DeJesus told WABC-TV. "All of a sudden ... I heard the boom,
and the car like literally jumped over a parked car and flew into the
gate, hitting a bunch of people."
A 65-year-old man suffered severe head trauma and died at the scene,
police said. A 24-year-old man and a 10-year-old girl were taken to a
hospital, where they were pronounced dead. The victims' names were not
released.
Authorities said a 3-year-old girl was critically injured. A 21-year-old
woman, a 9-year-old girl and the driver of the car also were taken to
the hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening.
"The little girl in the cat costume, she was hurt, she was screaming,"
witness Fabio Cotza told WNBC-TV. "It just didn't look real ... like
this is a Halloween joke."
A crowd of costumed onlookers descended on the scene Saturday night as
investigators worked to determine the cause of the crash. No charges had
been filed.
Hours after the crash, neighbors gathered for a small candlelight vigil to remember the victims.
"This is a sad situation, especially today, it's Halloween," Anna Crecco
said. "It's going to affect a lot, something like this has never
happened here. Everyone's going to remember when they pass by."
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