A passenger in a Mercedes and two men on bicycles were killed in two crashes less than 12 hours apart, about a block apart, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, police said.
The first victim, Alex Cava Guitierrez, 33, was riding in the back seat of a Mercedes-Benz around 9:45 p.m. Monday when the driver ran a red light at the intersection of Harrison Avenue and Lorimer Street. Authorities said he ignored the suspect and rushed forward.
Police said the driver crashed into an MTA bus driven by a 31-year-old man who was heading east on Lorimer Street.
Police said the impact sent the bus onto the sidewalk and crashed into a Citibike kiosk, causing Gutierrez to jump from the Mercedes.
The callous Mercedes driver drove off, leaving his passenger on the ground.
Guitierrez, who lived about a mile from the scene, was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Meanwhile, the driver of the MTA bus was taken to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, and the bus passenger was taken to Interfaith Medical Center, where both were listed in stable condition, police said.
The driver had not been captured by Wednesday.
Just before 8 a.m. the next morning, about a block away, bicyclist John Paoricelli, 64, was struck by the door of one car and into the path of another, police said.
Authorities said Paolicelli was riding his bicycle east on Broadway near Lorimer Street alongside a 2022 Hyundai Elantra when the driver of a 2019 Honda Accord threw open the front door. He reportedly collided with a bicycle.
Police said Paolicelli then flipped into the other lane and drove directly into the path of the Elantra, causing the Elantra to run over and pin him.
NYPD emergency services responded and removed the Elantra, but it was too late.
Police said Paolicelli suffered severe head trauma and was unresponsive.
Paolicelli, an Upper East Side resident, was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Police said all drivers remained at the scene and no arrests were made.
City Councilman Lincoln Ressler, who represents the area, said students at nearby school IS 318 witnessed “the aftermath of this tragedy.”
In the post of XHe said he has requested the city’s transportation bureau to “immediately review safety improvements” at the intersection and deploy intersection guards and traffic enforcement officers.
“We know what it takes to design safer roads, but we need to act now to pass policies and redesign them to make our communities safer. Without enforcement, these serious crashes will continue to occur,” he wrote.
“Every life lost to traffic violence is a policy failure.”
