A 7-year-old boy was fatally struck by the driver of an NYPD tow truck in Fort Greene on Thursday morning, authorities confirmed.
The incident occurred at the intersection of North Portland Avenue and Myrtle Avenue shortly after 7:50 a.m. on Oct. 26.
According to police, the boy was walking across the street with his mother when a police tow truck traveling westbound on Myrtle Avenue made a right hand turn onto North Portland Avenue and struck the boy, whose identity has not yet been released.
Paramedics pronounced the child dead at the scene.
The NYPD Highway District Collision Investigation Squad is currently at the scene and investigating the incident.
The tow truck was in active duty and had a car attached to its hitch at the time of the incident, according to police. The driver of the truck, a 54-year-old female, remained on the scene following the crash.
One eye witness, Antwoan Hayes, was bringing his daughter to school when he saw the devastating event unfold.
“That wasn’t an accident, it was recklessness,” Hayes said claiming that the driver of the tow truck was using her cell phone at the time of the incident.
He said the driver of the truck only realized she had hit someone because the boy’s mother was screaming “They killed my baby.”
“A very tough scene to be at this morning,” said NYD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey during a press briefing at 1 Police Plaza after the crash. “My heart and my prayers are going out to the community of Clinton Hill and Fort Greene.”
Mayor Eric Adams also offered his condolences to the family of the boy: “No parent wants to start their day losing a loved one to any form of incident. It is heart wrenching for all of us, we all feel it.”
The intersection of North Portland Avenue and Myrtle Avenue has been the scene of some 18 crashes in the last five years, which left 21 people injured — seven cyclists, six pedestrians and eight motorists — according to data from NYC Crashmapper.
Executive Director of commuter advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, Danny Harris, criticized the Adams administration for “watering down” and “delaying” street redesign projects, noting the death of the young boy marks the 73rd pedestrian fatality this year in NYC.
“We are furious to hear that the driver of an NYPD tow truck struck and killed a 7-year-old boy today. No parent should have to bury their own child, and this devastating crash robbed this boy of the future he deserved to have,” said Harris. “How many more children have to die before Mayor Adams takes action?”
“Every single crash is preventable,” he added. “We know how to make our streets safe for everyone, especially the youngest New Yorkers. Instead of redesigning our most dangerous roads and meeting the mandates of the NYC Streets Plan, Mayor Adams would rather play politics.”
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
