NEW YORK, NY — Two men were killed and three others were critically hurt Friday evening after police say a suspected intoxicated driver lost control of a black Mercedes-Benz in Upper Manhattan, struck parked cars and jumped a curb into a group of pedestrians. The crash happened near Amsterdam Avenue and West 109th Street in Morningside Heights around 6 p.m.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene with one man trapped beneath the vehicle. Surveillance footage reviewed by the Post showed the car surging through the intersection before the chain-reaction crash.
What did investigators say happened before the impact?
According to police, the 61-year-old driver was traveling northbound when he first sidewiped a car on East 108th Street. The Mercedes then hit two parked vehicles, a gray Volkswagen and a brown minivan, before it reached the sidewalk area where several men were sitting outside a barber shop.
Officials said the sequence left a bloody trail of damage across the block. One witness called the scene a “horror show” and said the driver pinned a man under the car.
Who were the victims and how badly were they hurt?
Police said the men killed were 35 and 46 years old. Loved ones said one was a doorman who had just finished work, while the other was a father of triplets who also worked at a hospital and was described as someone who supported his family.
Three other men, ages 36, 44 and 51, were taken to St. Luke’s Hospital in critical condition. The men had been sitting outside the barber shop when the crash unfolded.
How did bystanders respond at the scene?
Local resident Kenny Wong said he narrowly avoided the crash after changing direction moments before reaching the group. He later helped pull people from the wreckage and said he saw one victim beneath the car while another person was trying to perform CPR nearby.
Wong said the driver told him he had suffered a stroke and blacked out. Another witness said the force of the crash was so severe that the driver’s car appeared to fly through the intersection.
What happens next in the investigation?
Police said the driver appeared to be under the influence of alcohol when officers responded. He was taken to a hospital and placed in custody, and charges were still pending as of Friday night.
Investigators are still sorting out the full sequence of events and the condition of the three men who survived. The crash has left a neighborhood block reeling after what witnesses described as a sudden and violent collision.
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