A motorist killed a 13-year-old boy on 20th Avenue in Bensonhurst on April 14 — the second hit-and-run to take place in the neighborhood in two days.
Police said a green Ford Explorer was nearing 80th Street when he ran over 13-year-old Henry Garcia at 2:42 pm. Horrified witnesses said Garcia was pedaling a bike down 20th Avenue when he fell off the two-wheeler — right into the vehicle’s path.
“The kid looked horrible,” said Helen Verello, who works in a tax office across the street from where the accident took place. “He wasn’t breathing and his face was all bloody.”
Verello said that the Ford Explorer never stopped.
“He just kept on going and made a quick right down 81st Street,” she said. “A livery cab tried to chase him down, but he got away.”
Garcia’s friends were stunned by the death, telling reporters that the teen was always careful on his two-wheeler.
“He knew the streets really well,” family friend Palencia Maria told reporters.
Cops were still looking for the Ford Explorer by Monday night.
Investigators were also looking for a speeding panel truck that clipped a 74-year-old man as he crossed 86th and Bay 31st Street on April 13.
Paramedics rushed the senior to Lutheran Medical Center in critical condition.
Police sources said that detectives are reviewing surveillance footage from nearby businesses to try to track down the wild driver.
Anyone with information regarding these two hit-and-run incidents are urged to call CrimeStoppers at (800) 577–7477. All calls will be kept confidential.
