A 7-year-old boy was struck and killed by a NYPD tow truck that was turning at a Brooklyn intersection, police said.
The incident occurred just before 8 a.m. Thursday at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and North Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, just above Fort Greene Park.
The tow truck was turning right onto North Portland Avenue when the boy was struck as he and his mother were trying to cross the street, according to NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A witness said the boy was riding a lime green scooter in the crosswalk as he was heading to school with his mother when he was struck.
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"The mother is screaming hysterically, 'They killed my baby, they killed my baby,'" said Antoine Hayes. "The mother had another baby in a stroller walking in between my car and a Lexus. They were going that way. The tow truck driver hits the little boy. You hear the boom. She keeps going. Someone went to stop her.”
The 54-year-old driver of the tow truck remained at the scene after she was flagged down by witnesses a block away from the scene. It was not immediately clear if the driver would face charges.
"My heart goes out to the family of that young boy and his mother. The school, his teachers who were also at the scene. Very tough scene to be at this morning," said Maddrey.
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An investigation into the deadly crash is ongoing. Detectives are looking for surveillance video to see how fast the driver was going, whether she had a green light, and if she was on the phone or otherwise distracted.
"I am angered that yet another innocent life has been lost way too soon to senseless traffic violence on our streets,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. "A child has been robbed of the future that he deserved, and nothing can bring him back. However, we can and will pursue justice on his behalf."
