No Evidence of Criminality in Halloween Crash in the Bronx That Killed 3: Source

There is no evidence of criminality or wrongdoing on the part of the driver who plowed into a group of trick-or-treaters over the weekend in the Bronx, killing a 10-year-old girl and two others, a law enforcement source familiar with the case tells NBC 4 New York.

The source said while there is no indication of wrongdoing to this point in the investigation, the case remains open and the probe ongoing.

Police have been examining whether the 52-year-old driver may have suffered a medical emergency such as a seizure when he jumped the curb Saturday near Morris Park and Radcliff avenues, plowed into the pedestrians on the sidewalk and then smashed through a fence in front of a home, leaving a trail of mangled bodies and bloodied costumes as neighbors ran to help.

A preliminary investigation showed the car was not speeding at the time of the crash, and no drugs or alcohol were found in his system, police said.

The driver was taken to the hospital in stable condition.

Natalia Perez's daughter, Nyanna Aquil, was pronounced dead at a hospital. Perez's 65-year-old father, Louis Perez, suffered severe head trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Another man, 24-year-old Kristian Leka, also was killed. His 9-year-old sister and a 21-year-old female friend were injured but not critically. Aquil's 3-year-old sister also was hospitalized.

Witnesses described hearing a loud boom, followed by screaming and crying.

"I saw a torso on the sidewalk. I didn't know if it was a Halloween dummy or a real person," neighbor Fabio Cotza told the New York Post. "I just grabbed a whole bunch of towels and ran outside."

Perez said her father had taken her daughters out for a second round of trick-or-treating while she was at work.

"I'm at peace that they are in heaven together," Perez told NBC New York.

At a wake for Leka Tuesday, he was remembered as a "hard worker, a family kid."

"You couldn't find anybody better," said Simon Qafa of Morris Park. 

Leka's friends and witnesses said Kristian Leka had pushed his little sister out of the way of the car.

"He treated his sister like a princess, he would do anything for her," said family friend Pajtim Dacaj. "He was just a kindhearted person."

Leka was a truck driver and had just gotten engaged, friends said. Instead of celebrating a wedding, a tight-knit Albanian family is having to say goodbye.

Friends and neighbors continued to visit the memorial set up for Leka and the Perezes near Morris Park and Bogart avenues Monday night, where candles and pictures of the victims were set up.

Leka's funeral is scheduled for Wednesday. 

Friends of the victims have set up fundraising pages for them here:

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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