This past Monday evening, a crazed hit-and-run driver smashed into a vehicle in New York City, which resulted in the injuring of over 22 people.
Authorities stated that the driver of an odd white Audi departed a gas station at West 204th Street and Broadway at roughly 9:00 on Monday evening. It then slammed into the back of a Toyota RAV4 sport utility vehicle, which ended up causing the driver of the Toyota to lose control of their vehicle. The SUV then bounced over the curb and smashed through the front window pane of a local restaurant named the Inwood Bar and Grill.
The 22 people inside of the restaurant were mostly injured due to shrapnel-like pieces of glass which resulted in close to 19 people being rushed to local hospitals. The remaining three stated that they did not require medical help. Police also claimed that she stated that there were no life-threatening injuries.
A group of three quite young girls was counted among those injured — aged 1, 7, and 10. The 10-year-old girl ended up being the most injured and potentially ended up with a broken leg.
The person who had been driving the Toyota remained at the location, explained the police, but the person in control of the Audi ended up fleeing the scene and was the focus of a search for most of the day Tuesday. The vehicle was last spotted making its way north down Broadway, stated law enforcement officials. The driver of the RAV4 also needed treatment for non-serious injuries and was listed as stable when they were taken over to New York Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center.
Investigators are also looking into whether or not the people in the Audi were running away from another argument at a nearby gas station from the area when it slammed into the RAV4 prior to fleeing the area.
Videos and pictures of the aftermath showed members of the fire department at the scene, with the black RAV4 sitting on the sidewalk just outside the smashed restaurant.
Crime has been a massive issue throughout New York City and a topic that most Democratic politicians have promised to deal with.
Eric Adams, the Democrat Mayor of New York City based his entire campaign platform on a promise to take strides to reduce crime throughout the area. This past month, he spoke about a drop in the number of crime numbers, but the total serious crimes rate spiked 23.5% for 2022 compared to 2021.
“I think that New Yorkers should feel better about the direction that we are heading in the city around public safety,” he stated. “And the hard work of the NYPD and other agencies have been focused on making the city safe. Some of the numbers are reflecting that.”