An NYPD attempted traffic stop and subsequent vehicle pursuit apparently resulted in the pursued driver attempting an illegal U-turn in the Norwood section of The Bronx which, in turn, resulted in a multiple-car collision on Saturday night.

 

An NYPD spokesperson said that on [Saturday] June 3, at 10.35 p.m. in the vicinity of 2177 Webster Avenue, police officers driving a police vehicle with lights and siren on heading southbound on Webster Avenue were attempting to conduct a traffic stop after seeing a speeding motorist, when a 2012 Scion made an illegal U-turn from the southbound lane bus stop to go northbound, cutting in front of the police vehicle.

The spokesperson said, “Both vehicles collided forcing the police vehicle to strike a parked 2014 Ford, and the Scion to strike a parked 2019 Hyundai.” Police said both officers from the police vehicle and the driver of the second vehicle were removed to St. Barnabas Hospital in stable condition. They said the driver of the Scion, a 42-year-old man, was issued a summons for the illegal U-turn.

 

Norwood News arrived at the vicinity of the crash site about an hour after it occurred. Three damaged vehicles, including one police vehicle, were seen next to the sidewalk in front of Family Dollar Store, located at 3150 Webster Avenue.

A tow-away truck was later seen removing the two non-NYPD vehicles from the location.

 

In the area at the time was local resident and Bronx Community Board 7 chair of the sanitation committee, Betty Arce, who was out walking her dog. Arce told Norwood News she did not see the collision occur nor did she hear it. We asked some other bystanders if they saw what happened but they said they did not.

When we contacted FDNY to request details of the incident, we gave the address of the Family Dollar store as that was where three of the four cars were seen. The department initially said they had no reports of a call from that address. We asked if they had any reports of any accident on Webster Avenue and they asked if we could provide a cross street.

 

We said the cars were seen between East 204th and East 205th streets on Webster Avenue (which is the block where the Family Dollar store is located). An FDNY spokesperson later replied, saying the department received a call on Saturday, June 3, at 10.40 p.m. regarding the incident which the spokesperson said was reported as having taken place at East 205^th Street and Webster Avenue.

“Units were assigned to the above address for reports of a motor vehicle accident,” the FDNY spokesperson said. “Two patients were transported to St. Barnabas.” The spokesperson said neither a description nor the conditions of the victims were known.

 

We later asked the NYPD if the 2012 Scion that made the U-turn was the vehicle that was being pursued by police before the crash, as this was not immediately clear from the incident report. We also asked for confirmation of the total number of vehicles involved in the accident, along with some other questions. We were informed on Thursday, June 8, that the information provided was the information that was currently available in respect of the incident.

 

The police vehicle involved in the collision was not marked with a 52nd Precinct indicator though the 52nd Precinct stationhouse is located on the same stretch of Webster Avenue, a few blocks down from where the collision took place.

Instead, it had an FSD symbol on the side which symbolizes the NYPD Fleet Service Division. According to internet sources, FSD is the maintenance and repair shop for the NYPD and Fleet Service Division vehicles are sometimes used as loaned cars to other NYPD units/divisions.

 

According to internet sources, such vehicles are reportedly older vehicles that were once assigned to another NYPD unit/division, but were damaged, or taken out of service and then repaired by FSD.

To view some short videos of the scene, click here, here, here and here.

 

For collision investigations, NYPD handles the criminal aspects of the investigation, while NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) reviews the street design at the locations of such crashes.

 

A person arrested and charged with a crime is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.