Boy Killed by Cab Driver in East Harlem, No Charges Filed

Axel Pablo

There are conflicting reports about the cause of a taxi-on-pedestrian accident at 112th Street and Lexington Avenue in East Harlem yesterday afternoon, but this much is certain: 8-year-old Axel Pablo is dead, and the driver of the cab, Akim Saiful Alam, was released without charges. Witnesses and police tell the Daily News that Alam, turning left from Lex onto 112th, slammed into Pablo as he stopped to pick up his mother's cell phone while crossing the street. The impact knocked Pablo out of his shoes.

Witness Salha Nagi says, "The [cab driver] turned the corner at like 50 mph, real fast, and just hit the kid. A guy was screaming at the cab driver to stop, and he was trying to leave, so I got in front of the cab and I turned off the car. [The driver] was slapping my hand, but I turned off the car, and when the cops came they took him away." Nagi also tells the Post that Alam was talking on his cellphone when he ran over Pablo, but CBS 2 reports that investigators checked phone records and "found no proof" the cab driver was talking on a cell phone at the time of the accident.

CBS 2 also has it that Pablo "ran into the street from between two parked cars," and another witness tells 1010WINS, "Everyone is saying the car hit him, but it really looked like he ran into the car." Pablo was rushed to Metropolitan Hospital and pronounced dead 30 minutes later. Alam was taken away in handcuffs but later released, and police officially classified the case an accident. Upon returning home from the hospital, Alex's mother Yolanda collapsed in grief and was taken back to the same hospital. A friend tells the Daily News, "Yolanda is very, very sick. She can't believe he's died."

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

By John Del Signore in News on August 14, 2009 9:22 AM

Comments [rss]

Reflect

He graduated Berkley college already?

Stewart

Poor child, poor mother. And if the cab driver tried to run, he should be slapped with a felony.

Clickety-Clickety Clack

Good god is that heartbreaking. What a cutie pie.

drewo

It will only be news when a driver is actually held responsible for killing or maiming a pedestrian.

Until then death-by-automobile with no accountability will be business as usual in New York City.

blondeinthecity

The first thing my uncle told me when I moved to the city was that if you're going to get hit, you want to get hit by the black cars, not cabs. At least the car service company will have money.

devilducki

That is, if the black cars are actually licensed to a company.

JacqueMehoff

where's all these video surveillance cameras that's all over the city? Let's Go to the videotape.

mrguy

It would be virtually impossible to make a left from an avenue to a standard-size manhattan cross-street at 50mph. even doing it at 30, the city speed limit, would be incredibly difficult, perhaps impossible, unless you made the turn from the far-right hand lane of the avenue (and nobody's saying he did that).

hotstepper

this is an unfortunate incident, but i am withholding judgment at this point. witness accounts are notoriously pocked with error, and these ones are egregiously contradictory.

whatsd

ARE YOU F-ING KIDDING ME. I almost choked on my breakfast when I read he was released. Isn't that automatically vehicular manslaughter? And hit-and-run?? And a violation of the cab driver cell phone policy? Is this a mafia thing??? Am I am the only one so FUCK*NG OUTRAGED?????

Tpooh2

Before you choke on your outrage, you have to see what the facts are. Like hotstepper said, the witnesses are giving difference stories. With regards to the cell phone: ...but CBS 2 reports that investigators checked phone records and "found no proof" the cab driver was talking on a cell phone at the time of the accident.

Was he really trying to run? Did he know he hit a child? Was he really making a turn at 50mph? Was the child in the cross walk? Did the driver have the right of way?

All these questions needs to be addressed before you guys hang him.

This is still very sad and tragic for all parties involved. I wish them strength in this time.

drewo

Was he really trying to run? Did he know he hit a child? Was he really making a turn at 50mph? Was the child in the cross walk? Did the driver have the right of way?

All these questions needs to be addressed before you guys hang him.

And I don't count on the NYPD to do a thorough job of addressing these questions. It's easier to call it an accident and move on.

The cops and the media will forget about it by tomorrow -- forgotten by everybody except the family of the dead person.

Rocknrope

Truly horrible, and strange that the accounts are so radically conflicting. Was the child struck in the crosswalk by the turning cab, or did he run into the street and get clipped by the car? Sort it out.

Tpooh2

Tragic.

My condolences to the family.

krunkymunky

yup. no accountability for cab drivers. never has been and certainly is none today. my 80 year old grandmother was hit by a cab driver turning at an intersection in manhattan twenty years ago. she died, he got off scot-free.

CR

Hey - Morganthau loves cars and hates pedestrians.

nicemarmot

More like no accountability for any drivers. If he was really going 50mph and tried to leave the scene, that's a crime. But since he was the driver, we know that he was really the innocent victim and the boy must have thrown himself into the car's path.

Still traumatized from seeing my neighbor killed by a bus three years ago. The bus driver ran a red light and didn't get in any trouble either.

Sometimes I think NYC's motto is "If you were in a car, it's not a crime!"

snickerdoodle

Still traumatized from seeing my neighbor killed by a bus three years ago. The bus driver ran a red light and didn't get in any trouble either.

I find it hard to believe that the cops turned down an opportunity to ticket the driver for running a red light.