NEW YORK — Two people were killed and several others were hurt in a multi-car crash in Washington Heights on Monday that involved a stolen car.
CBS New York spoke to shaken neighbors, including a man who narrowly escaped being hit.
Video shows two cars collide and smash into a third vehicle, which was parked, sending debris flying.
Also shown is an employee at a smoke shop standing outside with two men he said he had just told to step away from the street. Seconds later, they were hit by chunks of flying metal and ran inside.
“They started crying because they was thankful,” the employee said. “They were telling me, ‘Thank you. You’re an angel. You saved me.'”
The employee, who didn’t want to be named, said the next few moments trying to help the injured in the cars were chaotic.
“It was crazy trying to revive them, real sad,” he said.
“Trying to break the glass, trying to get them out the car,” another man said, describing the scene. “They were just like, ‘Help!’ It’s awful. You’re trapped.”
Police say at 6:45 a.m. a Hyundai that was recently reported stolen was traveling north on Audubon Avenue when it collided with a Jeep going west on 179th Street.
Five teenagers were inside the Hyundai. Two died, one is critical at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, and the other two were taken to Harlem Hospital.
“They cut the roof off so they could get the other two people out. I saw them try to save two lives. My heart hurts,” a witness said.
As for the Jeep involved in the crash, its 63-year-old driver suffered minor injuries.
Several witnesses said they saw the Hyundai driving erratically up and down the street.
“Going too fast, took this red light and got T-boned,” one said.
People in the neighborhood said they feel awful for the victims’ families and started placing flowers and candles at the scene.
“I feel sorry because I have kids. Nobody wants to hear the call saying kids have an accident,” one person said.
“Kind of shaken up. Just before July 4, not going to be much of a celebration,” another said.
The NYPD‘s Collision Investigation Squad was trying to piece together the details, including how fast the stolen Hyundai was going, and if the driver ran a red light.
It’s unclear whether the driver of the Hyundai was 15 or 16 years old. In New York City, for the first year after obtaining a provisional license, teenagers are not allowed to have passengers under 20 in the car unless they are accompanied by a licensed driver 25 years of age or older.
