NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Six members of a family were hospitalized, including a woman who was critically injured, after a hit-and-run driver mounted a sidewalk in the Bronx and struck them early Sunday morning, police said.
The family members were taking part in a celebration near E. 170th Street and Sheridan Avenue in the Claremont section shortly before 3 a.m. when a Jeep jumped a curb and plowed into the group, police said.
"We just came here to chill, as a normal family, just a little small gathering. And we were just talking like normally until a car came out of nowhere and hit us with no particular reason," an unidentified family member said.
"It was way too quick. I couldn't really tell what happened. But all I could say was a car sped up to hit us. I don't know why," he said.
Six Pedestrians Struck by Jeep After Shot Fired @CitizenApp
Sheridan Ave & E 170th St 2:49:12 AM EDT
Another family member believes the family was targeted. He didn't say why, and the police have no confirmation of that, but the NYPD is looking through surveillance video as they sort out the crash.
After hitting the six people, the Jeep was wedged into a schoolyard fence. The driver ran off, leaving the vehicle behind, police said.
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All six victims were rushed to Lincoln Hospital, where a 34-year-old woman was in critical condition, according to police.
The other five victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries like cuts and broken bones. They included two 16-year-old boys, a 39-year-old man, a 41-year-old woman and a 26-year-old woman.
An investigation is ongoing as police search for the driver.
