A 3-year-old boy visiting from Massachusetts was killed by a pickup truck in a hit-and-run in Brooklyn yesterday afternoon. The boy, Edward Heredia of Chicopee, MA, had been walking with his family, but somehow broke free and ran into the street at 55th Street and Fifth Avenue. Then, a truck making a left turn hit him.
Many people witnessed the incident, including children who saw the accident, and some were crying. One witness told Newsday that the child's mother "was crazy, She was yelling ...'My baby! My baby! Don't die!'" A pediatrician whose office was nearby and who tried to save the boy said, "He had a pulse. He was badly hit. There was a lot of blood coming out of his mouth," and that he died within a minute.
Some witness reports said that the driver got out of the car, saw that he hit the boy, and then fled. The whole accident was reportedly captured on NYPD security cameras on the street. However, charges were not filed against the driver - police believe the young man did not realize he hit the child upon questioning.
