A car exiting the Queensboro Bridge on the Queens side went airborne and slammed into a building, killing a pedestrian who happened to be walking by at 4 a.m.
Police said the red 2007 Volkswagen was coming off the 59th Street Bridge when the driver failed to negotiate the curve and lost control. The car hit a guard rail, flipped and flew into the building housing a beauty parlor at Crescent Street and Queens Plaza South.
The 68-year-old pedestrian died at the scene. He was identified as Anthony Buscemi, a taxi driver for Midtown Operating Corp. since 1986. Buscemi, of Sunnyside, had just exited the subway and was walking to work when he was hit. He is survived by a son.
"There were other drivers almost behind him who went into tears when they saw him laying there," said Buscemi's boss Rey Segui. "As far as we're concerned a really really bad loss for the taxi business. A guy who knew his way around. He's been at this since 1986. That's a long time driver...steady."
Buscemi was on the sidewalk in front of Villa de Beaute salon, one when he was fatally hit. A camera inside the salon captured part of the crash.
The driver of the car was taken to a hospital with critical injuries, including a severed arm, according to the Daily News. Another passenger was transported in stable condition.
One person who came upon the carnage told the Daily News it "was a horror movie -- pools of blood running onto the street."
Yama Dastagirzada said he saw a person on the sidewalk, not moving. He then turned his attention to the passengers in the car.
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"I looked in and saw a hand moving," he said. "I was going to try and turn off the ignition but the car was crushed from the top. I couldn't get in. The whole front end of the car was taken off."
The News said a blood sample of the driver is being tested for alcohol.
The outer roadway on the bridge was closed for several hours, snarling traffic during the morning rush.