A 69-year-old woman was fatally struck by a speeding SUV in a shocking hit-and-run incident in Midtown East during the early hours of Wednesday, police said.
The victim was hit around 4:30 a.m. at the intersection of East 57th Street and Second Avenue, an area that has witnessed multiple recent crashes.
According to authorities, the impact was so severe that the woman was thrown off her feet, with both her shoes flung across the street.
Surveillance footage from the dimly lit roadway shows the black SUV barreling through the stretch before striking the pedestrian and fleeing the scene without stopping.
Victim rushed to hospital, succumbed to injuries
The woman was immediately taken to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where she later died from her injuries. Police have not yet released her identity as they are in the process of notifying her family.
Video evidence suggests the driver slowed briefly after the collision but did not stop, turning onto East 57th Street and escaping. Meanwhile, a second SUV stopped at the scene, and two individuals stepped out to assist the victim.
Back-to-back fatal crashes raise concern
The incident marks the second deadly hit-and-run in the neighbourhood within a week. Just days earlier, a 44-year-old man was killed nearby when a truck driver reversing into a crosswalk struck him. That driver was later arrested.
According to the residents, the repeated accidents, particularly during early morning hours, are deeply unsettling. Police are now examining footage from multiple cameras in the area, hoping to identify the fleeing SUV and bring the driver to justice.
