A 22-year-old New York City man was charged and indicted on Tuesday, months after he allegedly drove his car over a curb and fatally struck a 1-year-old girl who was sitting inside a stroller next to her mother.
Kier Boneparte of the Bronx faced additional charges, including criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene of an incident and violations of the vehicle and traffic law, for the tragic incident on Sept. 17, 2019, said Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark.
The NYPD said Boneparte, who was unlicensed, was driving north on White Plains Road near East 215th Street in the Olinville neighborhood that afternoon when he lost control of his SUV and jumped a curb, pinning a stroller carrying 18-month-old Djeneba Magassa into the wall.
Clark said Djeneba's mother had stopped on that sidewalk just moments before to feed her child. "My condolences to the mother who saw her child die in such a tragic way," she said.
Police initially said Boneparte remained at the scene and told police he lost control of the vehicle while trying to make a right turn. Further investigation revealed that he had left the crash scene and walked down the street before he was stopped by officers, according to Clark.
A singular pink baby shoe was left on the Bronx street right next to the stroller. Djeneba's mother flagged down a car nearby to bring her daughter to Montefiore Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to police.
Boneparte was also charged with reckless driving, driving without a license and failing to yield to pedestrian.
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It wasn't immediately clear if he had a representative who could speak on his behalf.
