Snowplow Driver Flees Scene After Hitting Several Cars

A snowplow operator in the city collided with at least five parked vehicles following a recent snowstorm, then drove away, according to law enforcement and affected car owners.

One driver, living at Netherland Avenue and West 236th Street in the Bronx, reported that a sanitation truck struck her car on January 26 and left without stopping.

Another woman reported a similar incident involving a city snowplow that hit her car at Brookside Street and 38th Avenue in Little Neck, Queens, shortly after midnight. A third report came in the next day when a snowplow struck a vehicle at 77th Street and 226th Street in Bayside, Queens, further supporting the accounts, as all three reported having video evidence.

Rodica Ciak, 63, was attempting to clear snow when she noticed damage to her car parked on 236th Street. She quickly identified that a 2022 Range Rover had been hit. The footage from a nearby security camera showed the city sanitation truck colliding with her vehicle while making a right turn, all while an onlooker tried to wave down the driver.

“How is that possible?” Ciak questioned. “You work for the city. I have a nice car. I’m really upset.”

Another owner, driving a 2017 Nissan Rogue, captured video of his car being hit by a snowplow at the northeastern corner of 50th Street and 63rd Street in Elmhurst, Queens, around 2 p.m. on January 26.

“I didn’t see it myself, but my neighbor did,” stated the 45-year-old Queens resident. “I was parked on a corner, and when the snowplow was turning, it swerved and scraped the left rear end of my car.”

The damage was significant; his bumper and tire were completely destroyed, and while he acknowledged that he didn’t have collision coverage, he also took responsibility for how he parked.

“I feel stupid,” he admitted. “I knew I probably shouldn’t have parked there, but I didn’t have any other options.”

Mosharraf Hussain, whose 2010 Lexus was parked on 56th Street in Maspeth, Queens, also fell victim to a snowplow at around 1 a.m. on the same day. “A city sanitation truck hit my car,” the 63-year-old shared, noting he had parked it on the corner.

Video shows the powerful impact, with the plow shaking the car and damaging part of the bumper. “He reversed and then took off again, hitting my car,” Hussain recounted. “We’ve never encountered anything like this before.”