A drunk driver allegedly struck and killed nine people Thursday, killing three as they celebrated the Fourth of July on the Lower East Side, officers and police sources said.
According to sources, the victims included a mother and her two young children. Two women and a man succumbed to their injuries.
“I can’t get the screaming out of my head,” a shocked witness told The Post.
Several families were in Corlears Hook Park when a gray Ford F-150 sped through the intersection of Water and Jackson streets, across the sidewalk and into the greenbelt, police told reporters.
A local witness, who was at the park with his wife and sister-in-law, said the victims were enjoying a barbecue near the bleachers of the baseball field, which is directly across from a stop sign the truck drove through.
“That’s where the truck hit. If you drive straight ahead, you drive right into that space and that’s exactly what happened,” said the man, who didn’t want to give his name.
The pickup, which weighs an average of 5,000 pounds, was on top of four victims when rescuers arrived, using airbags, jacks and braces to free the victims.
The victims were taken to Bellevue, New York Presbyterian Downtown, Mount Sinai Beth Israel and NYU Langone. The driver is also being evaluated in Bellevue.
Four are clinging to life and three others are in serious condition, FDNY Chief Michael Myers said. Two were treated for minor injuries.
Two victims were pronounced dead at the scene, including a 41-year-old woman. The third victim died of his injuries in hospital.
A mother and her two “young” children were among the surviving victims, but police could not say whether they were the ones who were pinned under the drunk driver’s truck.
Park visitors who witnessed the tragedy immediately jumped into action to stop the drunk driver and prevent him from fleeing, police said.
Officers smelled alcohol on the driver and said they “believe alcohol may have played a role in this.”
“I don’t understand how someone can get into a car while drunk or let people ride with them, knowing that they can change the lives of the people around them in such a profound and tragic way,” said the witness’ wife, who wanted to show her out-of-town sister a fun Fourth of July.
Terrifying surveillance footage shows the truck speeding through the street, with no sign of slowing down at the intersection.
The car drives over the curb and into a fence, which doesn’t stop the car. Sparks fly through the air, which are thrown at the family, according to the video obtained by ABC 7.
When asked if nearby construction played a role in the tragedy, she and her husband dismissed the idea.
“We’ve lived here for 20 years — there’s a stop sign and the construction barricades are bright orange. It’s dark, yes, but you can see these constructions. The stop sign was there,” the woman said.
“The speed you have to go to crash into people… I’m still in shock.”
Abdo Yahya, a 30-year-old father of three who has lived in the neighborhood for 18 years, said his children saw the police cars outside their window.
“Nothing like this has ever happened here before. I mean, they fight. They argue. But something like this,” he said. “My kids are afraid to go outside now.”
The driver has been arrested. Police have not identified the person, but sources say they are from the Bronx.
The investigation is still ongoing.