Grandmother Killed in Brooklyn Hit-and-Run

A man driving a Ford Explorer fatally hit a 77-year-old woman crossing 22nd Street at Fourth Avenue yesterday afternoon. According to the Post, a minivan first clipped Jozefa Dzwiga, "but then, a Ford Explorer swerved around the van and ran over" her.

The Explorer was going south on Fourth and dragged Dzwiga 50 feet. The driver only stopped when people ran after him. Yahaira Vazquez who witnessed the incident told the NY Times, "I started running across the street, and I started yelling his license plate number, and then he stopped. He reversed and got out of the vehicle and explained to someone else that he didn’t see her and that it was an accident.” But then he got back into his car and left.

Dzwiga, who worked as a cleaning woman for a neighborhood bank, was taken to Lutheran Medical, where she was pronounced dead at 7PM. Police found the abandoned Explorer at 24th and Third Avenue and arrested Nahu Hurtado for leaving the scene of a fatal accident. The minivan driver, who did stop, was not charged.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on July 21, 2007 9:06 AM

Comments [rss]

guest

He didn't see her, nor hear the thud as he impacted with her flailing body. Ridiculous! Put him in the pen!

guest

And bicyclists are the problem in New York City? Puh-lease.

guest

What's wrong with drivers these days? It makes me sick to see how people would simply say, "Oh, I didn't see her," after hitting the poor woman and driving off! I hope he gets a good couple of years, that cold-hearted bastard.

guest

he certainly hurtado'd the woman. I crack me up.

guest

What's bloomberg saying about this?

Nothing, nothing at all. He doesn't care.

guest

guest 5 Not sure about you're double parking stance - all points excellent amen. I'm sick of cars screeching around corners doing 50, and racing and peeling out on residential streets.

guest

It would seem that we might no longer be in need of congestion pricing if the city would institute a draconian crackdown on motorists. If the many uninsured, unlicensed, irresponsible jerks on the road found themselves looking at civil forfeiture of their vehichles and a week on a road-gang picking up rubbish or filling in potholes they would soon "get right" as the kids say. In addition this is the only city I've lived in where the double-parking is tolerated. In other municipalities if you double-park (wether for street cleaning, to pop in to shops, or what have you) your car is getting towed.

bklynd

The Post adds "Witnesses say that Hurtado also claimed to have a suspended license before leaving the scene."

Pretty much, this guy is every motorist or ped's worst nightmare (and every immigrant-hater's dream.)

guest

It's possible she died from being dragged 50 feet, instead of from actually getting struck, right? IF so, I hope this punk faces Vehicular Homicide charges.

guest

What is it with people not stopping when they hit someone? It doesn't say who had the light, but it's a lot worse to leave the scene of an accident either way.