Police are looking for the driver of a stolen 2005 BMW which plowed into two parked cars on Jerome Avenue in the Bedford Park section of The Bronx. Witnesses told Norwood News the driver of the stolen car was observed exiting it and walking away from the vehicle, before later returning, calmly removing his belongings from its interior and from the trunk, and then disappearing once again before police arrived at the scene.
Upon further investigation, NYPD officials said they learned the same vehicle had been reported stolen in Pennsylvania. An NYPD official told Norwood News that the crash was reported to them at 5:14 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9, outside Verizon Telecom, located on Jerome Avenue between Minerva Place and East 199th Street. Meanwhile, FDNY officials placed the time of the crash at 4:29 p.m. and said no injuries had been reported.
The site of the crash on Jerome Avenue is a stretch of road which begins to make a 90-degree turn before joining Minerva Place.
The unidentified NYPD official said of the incident, “Upon arrival, officers were informed [that] a 2005 BMW collided with two unoccupied vehicles.” According to the same official, a parked 2011 Honda and a 2005 Ford were damaged in the crash, while the driver of the stolen BMW fled the scene, leaving the stolen vehicle behind.
Two fire trucks were sent to the scene by FDNY, and firefighters used “speedy dry,” a sand-like substance that, according to the FDNY, helped mitigate the risk of a potential fire from a fuel leak from one of the damaged vehicles.
The owner of one of the two damaged vehicles, which had Virginia license plates, said he only had “liability” insurance, rather than full coverage, meaning that he would likely not recover any compensation as a result of the crash and any repairs would have to come out of his own pocket.
Shortly after 9 p.m., a tow truck, accompanied by the New York City Sheriff’s Department, removed the stolen car from the location. Police continue to hunt for the car-thief who fled the scene on foot.