New Video Shows Vehicle Sought In Brooklyn Hit-And-Run That Left Man Critically Injured
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The NYPD has released new video of a car involved in a hit-and-run in Brooklyn that sent a man to the hospital in critical condition.
Meanwhile, it appears the site of the incident is a trouble spot when it comes to safety, CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis reported Tuesday.
Police are looking for the driver of a dark Nissan SUV, accused of leaving the scene after striking a 47-year-old man in Cypress Hills as he was attempting to cross the road. The victim was allegedly not in a marked crosswalk when he was hit Sunday at around 3 a.m.
Investigators say the SUV has custom step rails, similar to the one in a photo released to the media.
The incident happened at the intersection of Conduit Avenue and Crescent Street, where pedestrians say speeding is an ongoing issue.
"It's always a lot of speeding cars, up and down," said Craig Williams, who works in the area.
Two days after the hit-and-run there was still yellow police tape lingering at the scene, along with a sign from the NYPD asking the public to send in tips in the search for the driver.
Right beside that sign, people could be seen darting across the street, again and again walking in the middle of the road, many choosing to jaywalk instead of using a nearby crosswalk.
DeAngelis watched as one group waits on the sidewalk by the gas station and crosses once traffic slows, but a car comes close and stops in the middle of the road to let the group walk. She then approached those pedestrians.
"You cross there. Cars don't stop. They just keep going," one woman said.
When reminded that she didn't use a crosswalk, the woman said, "It's just typical because you automatically come this way," the person added.
She was referring to what she feels is easy access to a path to get to the other side of an island that separates North and South Conduit avenues. That's the same the route some students use to get to school.
"There's a crosswalk right there, but we said we can cross there, but we cross here for the simple fact that we're headed this way," George Hernandez said.
"They made this whole path. A few years ago this wasn't here. I use to walk through it when it was dirt and stuff, so I feel like if they have this whole path here might as well have a crosswalk," John Paul Flores added.
Adding another crosswalk is one solution the pedestrians said could make the busy intersection more safe.
The takeaway is for drivers to take it slow and for pedestrians to stick to the crosswalk, together following the rules of the road.
DeAngelis reached out to the NYPD and the Department of Transportation for more specifics on what's being done in the area for safety, but she didn't get an immediate response.
Anyone with information on the hit-and-run should call NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. You can also submit a tip via the Crime Stoppers website, by Tweeting @NYPDTips or by texting a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577.
