A 6-year-old boy was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer one block from his school in East Harlem Thursday morning while the crossing guard was taking a break, according to a law enforcement official.
The boy, identified as Amar Diarrosova, was walking with his 9-year-old brother and was crossing First Avenue just before 8 a.m. when the tractor-trailer turned right onto the avenue from 117th Street.
The older boy was not struck.
A law enforcement official tells NBC 4 New York that the 55-year-old crossing guard was allowed the short personal break, but did not note it in her memobook. She has been suspended from her job, police said.
The children were one block from PS 155 and were in the crosswalk, police said.
Diarrosova was taken to Harlem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The driver was cited for failure to yield and failure to exercise due care, police said.
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The boy's distraught parents did not speak to reporters as they returned to their apartment except to answer a question about how the 9-year-old brother was doing after the accident.
"He's OK, thank you," the boy's father said.
Family friend Maya Toure called Amar a "sweet boy," telling NBC 4 New York the boy loved school and "he prayed a lot."