Jersey City Woman Struck By Car Over Basketball Argument
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBS 2) -- Police in Jersey City were patrolling the area Tuesday as they searched for the hit-and-run driver who struck a woman after an argument over a basketball.
Bianca Ortiz, 19, was on crutches and in pain after being hit by a driver irate over her brother's basketball bouncing into the street and hitting his car.
Ortiz's brother, Justin, said the pair was walking home from playing basketball when the incident occurred.
"My ball fell out of my hands, and I guess it skinned the car," he told CBS 2's Derricke Dennis.
Late Saturday night, Ortiz said the motorist brought his car to a screeching halt on the road and got out of the vehicle.
Ortiz said the driver was "yelling" and "cursing" even while she tried to explain that it was all just "an accident."
The driver allegedly threatened Ortiz and her brother, saying "I'll show you an accident," according to the woman.
"He just hit her and he meant to hit her. He got out, he threatened to hit her, and he hit her," the woman's mother, Gladys Ortiz, said.
Several neighbors either heard the car, or actually saw the accident. No one, however, was able to get a license plate number or a good look at the driver.
Neighbor Lanisse Camacho said she tried chasing the driver for two lights trying to get a license plate number.
Police are searching for a silver/grey Mustang with black stripes.
Meanwhile, Ortiz's friends and family are counting their blessings knowing the accident could have been much worse.
"My leg, my back hurts real bad. Right now, I have some hot patch on my back that therapy gave me. I'm in pain," Ortiz said.
"It's not right. I don't think he should be driving at all, and I think he should turn himself in," Gladys Ortiz said.
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