What to Know
- One person died and another was critically hurt in a chain-reaction crash on the Cross Bronx Expressway early Monday
- Officials said two cars crashed and then at least four more collided shortly after, causing the chain-reaction wreck
- A cause of the accident is under investigation, but witnesses say rubbernecking could have played a role
One person is dead and another is clinging to life after a chain-reaction crash involving at least six vehicles on the Cross Bronx Expressway early Monday, a violent accident that snarled traffic in the Bronx and for commuters heading to the George Washington Bridge.
Police said 28-year-old Jaquan Cesar of Beacon, New York, was pronounced dead at the scene of the 1 a.m. crash on the westbound side of the highway near Webster Avenue. Another person is in extremely critical condition and a woman is in stable condition.
Officials said two cars crashed and then at least four more collided shortly after, causing the chain-reaction wreck.
All westbound lanes were shut down to traffic as authorities investigated; they fully reopened shortly before 9 a.m., around eight hours after the initial crash. Extensive delays trekked back to the George Washington Bridge all morning; the Lincoln or the Holland tunnels are better Hudson River crossing options.
As the investigation into the multi-vehicle crash continues, rubbernecking may have played a role, witnesses say.
A witness told NBC 4 New York that he saw someone inspecting the damage outside of their car when another vehicle hit that vehicle and that caused a chain-reaction wreck of four more cars.
