Driver in NYC Halloween crash may have suffered seizure; 3 dead
A driver who plowed his car into a group of trick-or-treaters in New York, killing three people, may have suffered a seizure, according to police.
Police believe the driver may have had a seizure or experienced some other medical problem and lost control of his car, but investigators have not yet confirmed this as the cause of the crash, police said.
The path of the vehicle left a bloody trail of bodies and costumes, according to the Associated Press. A 10-year-old girl and her grandfather were among those killed.
Dozens of children and their families were along the street in the Bronx around 5 p.m. Saturday when the car veered out of control. All of those injured or killed were part of two extended families, according to the New York Post.
"I saw a torso on the sidewalk. I didn't know if it was a Halloween dummy or a real person," neighbor Fabio Cotza told the newspaper. "I just grabbed a whole bunch of towels and ran outside."
The driver, a 52-year-old man, was at the wheel a black, 2011 Dodge Charger, police said. After hitting the rear of Toyota Camry, the Charger crossed double-yellow lines along Morris Park Avenue before jumping a curb and striking six people, police said.
"There was a family of kids trick-or-treating, walking behind me," Kristina DeJesus told WABC-TV. "All of a sudden ... I heard the boom, and the car like literally jumped over a parked car and flew into the gate, hitting a bunch of people."
Louis Perez, 65, of the Bronx, suffered severe head trauma and died at the scene of the crash, police said. His granddaughter, Nyanna Aquil, 10, and Kristian Leka, 24, all Bronx residents, were both transported to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx where they were pronounced dead, according to police.
Perez's 3-year-old granddaughter, Jasmine Aquil, was also injured and transported to Jacobi, according to the New York Post. Others hospitalized were a 9-year-old girl and a woman who was 21 years old, according to police.
Police said the driver was in stable condition at Jacobi. No charges had been filed.
In other Halloween incidents:
- A 5-year-old boy was killed while trick-or-treating in Minneapolis when he was struck by a car while crossing a street, the AP reported. Police said the driver stopped and was cooperating with the investigation.
- A 14-year-old girl was struck by two vehicles and dragged nearly a mile while trick-or-treating in Ypsilanti Township, Mich. She was in critical condition, the AP reported.
- Needle-like objects were reportedly discovered in candy handed out Halloween night in a Philadelphia suburb. The Kennett Square police department said a “needle-type item” was found in wrapped candy bars given to five different children and urged parents to check their children's candy, the AP said.