Driver Arrested After Staten Island Crash Kills One Teen, Injures Seven Others

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A little before 10 pm last night, police say a 25-year-old man driving a Chevrolet Suburban blew through a stop sign on Staten Island, which resulted in the SUV being hit from behind, killing one of the passengers and injuring seven others.

Police tell the Staten Island Advance that as the SUV sped through the intersection at Hillside Terrace and Hylan Boulevard, a Nissan Sentra crashed into the back, sending the Suburban flipping end over end before finally slamming into a parked car. The impact sent several of the teenage passengers flying from the vehicle. One 18-year-old passenger of the Chevy suffered serious head trauma and was pronounced dead at Staten Island University Hospital. Two others had broken ankles.

Cops say that a 17-year-old girl even had to have part of her right arm amputated, and the driver of the Sentra, a 20-year-old man, is being treated for body trauma. Retired NYPD Police Officer Robert Frisci, who lives nearby, heard the crash and immediately rushed to the scene. "I heard the crash and I ran out of my house and found a female in her early 20s lying on the ground and her right arm was almost completely severed just above the elbow," he explained.

Despite — or maybe because of — all the carnage, the driver of the Chevy, whom police identify as 25-year-old Brian Pittsley, fled the scene before cops arrived. Stephen Goetz, a 43-year-old who also lives near where the crash occurred, said the impact "sounded like multiple explosions." Goetz tried to chase down the driver of the SUV, but decided to help the many victims instead. Cops arrested him after a chase through Bensonhurst, and the Post reports that Pittsley has five prior arrests, including busts for grand larceny, assault, resisting arrest, criminal mischief and petit larceny.

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By Chris O'Shea in News on August 30, 2011 1:49 PM

Comments [rss]

Guest

One final issue with this - WTF, 25? The perp was driving around with a bunch of kids? At what point did men fail to mature? At 25, I had done a tour in the Army, got out a hard stripe NCO, was well into my civilian career and was close to buying my own house. I'm not the exception for my generation, so it's not like I'm especially motivated or anything. Cut the apron strings and grow the F up already.

Yeah, yeah, yeah - GET OFF MY LAWN! ;)

Miles Bader

It takes people much longer to mature now, 'cause of all the time needed to update their facebook page...

John Joyce

The NYPD Highway Patrol tracked this guy down to 83rd and 18th and he ran again, barefoot. The brought in ESU, K-9, and Aviation to chase him down. They had him in custody within about a 1/2 hour. Good job NYPD.

Barbara Starkweather

Got a toxic mix on Staten Island - a culture of driver lawbreaking, lots of wide open streets to speed around on, and a core of politicians....Council Members James Oddo and Vincent Ignizio and Borough President James Molinaro, who pander endlessly to reckless motorists. Add to that a police force that simply cannot keep up with the speeders and red light runners.

Staten Island, I also note, has several thriving bar scenes patronized mainly by people in cars, but never safety or DWI checkpoints. We do have an influential restaurant and tavern owners association. Figure that one out for yourself.

Guest

It's not like other boroughs are without their foibles. I've lived and worked in Brooklyn as well as Staten Island and driving down Coney Island Avenue is taking your life in your own hands, nevermind flatbush Ave, Fulton, etc...

I'd be willing to bet that Staten Island is as safe as the other boroughs in terms of traffic safety.

Barbara Starkweather

Probably not as apparent to a driver as it is to a pedestrian or a cyclist. I'm all three, so I like to think I'm seeing the bigger picture.

The stats are looking better, but for a little suburb with a population of only about 50,000, it's pretty crazy on our roads. In 2005, it was discovered that one in three patients at Staten Island University Hospital Trauma Center were there to be treated for automobile related injuries.

Guest

It's not that small of a suburb. It has 468,000 people, which would make it by far the biggest city in New Jersey, if it was in that state.

Barbara Starkweather

If it was in New Jersey. But it's not.

Guest

But it certainly doesn't have 50,000 people

Barbara Starkweather

Typo. Meant 500,000, but you knew that when you made your first response.

Guest

No I actually didn't. I've seen more ill-informed comments on this site than that.

bggb

Damn bicyclists.

Guest

Listen to me, because I say this in no uncertain terms - wear your fucking seatbelts. Enough of the niceties, just wear them no matter what position you are in the car. Cops like to say they've never had to cut a dead man out of his seatbelt and it rings true here. Wear them. No excuses.