Watch CBS News

Vigil Held For 9-Year-Old Boy Killed Crossing Upper West Side Street

NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- Neighbors of a 9-year-old who was run down and killed in a Manhattan intersection made a call for action on Wednesday night.

Cooper Stock was crossing West End Avenue with his father at 9 p.m. on Friday when a taxi making a turn from West 97th Street and struck them both. Cooper was killed in the accident.

"It's an outrage that this driver just walks away with a traffic violation," Sandy Goldschein said, "He should be in jail."

The NYPD said that the accident is still under investigation, but for now the cab driver has only received a summons, CBS 2's Jessica Schneider reported.

Residents of the Upper West Side neighborhood said that they have seen far too many accidents involving pedestrians and that something needs to be changed.

"It's like a speedway. There is such disregard for human life," Nancy Fedder said.

Mayor Bill De Blasio has promised a crack down. On Wednesday, he met with the families of pedestrians who have been killed to introduce an inter-agency task force to reduce traffic deaths.

"Everyone of us thinks, 'what if that was my child,'" the mayor said.

Mayor De Blasio said that he wants to increase the number of red light and speed cams and expand 20 mph zones in the city.

For those who knew Cooper Stock any amount of time is too long to wait for change.

"We want to see action now. It's very easy to pay lip service to it. Something has to change," Goldschein said, "No one else can die."

Following the accident the driver remained on the scene.

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.