As more drivers return to the streets and roadways of the Bronx after a nearly four-month lockdown that’s slowly coming to an end, four people were reported injured in three separate vehicle collisions on Wednesday, Jul. 8, 2020 along a three-block stretch in University Heights, with all three taking place within a five-hour period.

 

According to NYPD spokeswoman, Detective Denise Moroney, the first incident was reported at 2:00 p.m. on Jul. 8, at the intersection of 237 West Fordham Road and Hampden Place, within the confines of the 52nd precinct.

 

Moroney said that upon arrival at the scene, officers observed a 25-year-old man exhibiting the behavior of someone who appeared to be intoxicated. “The individual was involved in a motor vehicle collision (2019 Subaru), and EMS transported him to St. Barnabas Hospital,” she said.

The individual, identified as Andrew Brito, 25, of West 87 Street, Manhattan was later criminally charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (first degree), and criminally charged as an aggravated unlicensed operator in the second degree. Police later reported that Britto had a suspended license, and when questioned about the collision, said he had not seen the parked vehicle before hitting it.

 

A witness, who declined to be identified, said a second victim, a female passenger, was also injured in the incident. EMS later confirmed that two victims had been removed to St. Barnabas hospital, and gave 2:30 p.m. as the time of the incident. The witness said that officers found a bottle of alcohol in the rented ‘Zip Car,’ after Brito allegedly slammed it into the parked car, causing the Zip Car to overturn.

“They were drunk,” the witness said, adding, “The dark blue car was parked on West Fordham Road when it got hit by the light blue car”. Photos of the scene show the dark blue, parked vehicle pushed onto the sidewalk, while the Zip Car appears upside down following an apparent rollover according to police who were at the scene.

 

On the same evening, at 6:30 p.m., the same witness saw a second crash at Andrews Avenue and West Fordham Road, when a rider of a motorized scooter was struck by another vehicle. When the NYPD press office was initially contacted by Norwood News about the second incident, Detective Moroney said the press team had no complaint report on file at that time based on the information provided. A photograph taken by the witness shows firefighters moving a motorcycle to the side of the road, and another photo of a police vehicle at the scene.

 

The FDNY confirmed the incident in an email, saying a pedestrian was struck at 6:22 p.m. on Jul. 8, and was removed to St. Barnabas Hospital. The NYPD later confirmed on Jul. 10 that the incident did take place at the referenced location and resulted in one injured person (the driver of the scooter) who complained of neck pain and some abrasions. They said the victim was conscious when removed to St. Barnabas Hospital. The driver of the other vehicle said that a bus had stopped to let the second vehicle pass but the driver couldn’t break in time before colliding with the motorcycle.

 

After the second crash occurred, the witness said, “This place is seriously getting dangerous; they can call it the ‘Fordham Motor Speedway'”. The witness added that while relaxing on the front stoop of their home at around midnight on Jul. 8/9, EMS were seen once again responding to an incident in the area on the corner of Loring Place North and West Fordham Road.

 

According to a second police spokesman, this third motor vehicle accident in the same general vicinity was reported at 11:26 p.m. on Jul. 8. The spokesman said, “We had two vehicles, they were both traveling in the same direction. One vehicle was double-parked, and struck the other vehicle when it was moving out of the lane”. Police also reported that a victim involved in the incident suffered neck and back injuries and was transported to St. Barnabas Hospital.

 

Meanwhile, EMS confirmed there was one victim from a motor vehicle crash at the same location, but said the incident occurred at 12:08 a.m. on Thursday, July 9, which is closer to the time provided by the witness for the third collision.

 

The cause of the discrepancies in the reporting by City government officials remains unknown. Norwood News has reached out to the NYPD for clarification regarding the timing of this third incident.

 

In the week ending Jul. 5, 2020, the NYPD reported that there were 334 collisions in the Bronx, down from 694 for the same time period in 2019, a decrease of 52.1 percent, and likely the result of fewer drivers on the road due to the pandemic.

 

However, 21 people have died in traffic accidents in the Bronx during the first six months of 2020 so far, compared with just 13 during the same time period in 2019, a 52.1 percent increase.