On September 18, Williamsburg resident Joshua Crouch was killed while crossing the West Side Highway near West 12th Street. With few clues in the case - and the police seeming to chalk it up to being a hit-and-run, Crouch's friends and family have been asking people to come forward if they have information. The Villager reports that one Village resident may have a clue:
Gary Friedman, whose apartment overlooks the intersection where Crouch was hit, said he saw a large tractor-trailer, most likely an 18-wheeler, backing up around the time of Crouch’s death on Mon. Sept. 18 sometime around 3:20 a.m.
Friedman was getting ready for bed and heard the beeping and looked out the window. He said the highway had been unusually quiet and the tractor-trailer was the only vehicle he had seen on the road for some time.
He hadn’t thought to look too closely at the truck, but he did say that it was an unmarked white truck. He also said that the truck looked like it was for cross-country journeys, not local deliveries.
Friedman said he called the police twice, but he hasn't heard from them. In the meantime, Crouch's father James and Crouch's friend Morgan Lamarre seen many cars run through red lights at the same intersection; Lamarra is also trying to petition for more red-light cameras along the highway.
James Crouch told the Villager he will not leave the city until he has answers about his son's death. Here is his plea for help.
