Video Shows Fiery Fatal Crash After Police Chase
It was still dark when the driver of a stolen Honda CRV sped down a ramp off the Henry Hudson Parkway and careened out of control into a building in Upper Manhattan.
Flames immediately erupted from the rear of the vehicle, according to video surveillance footage released by a lawyer for the driver's family on Thursday. About 10 seconds later, at 4:40 a.m. on April 2, the police car that had been chasing the S.U.V. drove down the same ramp. The flames had diminished but still appeared to be flickering when the cruiser, its siren lights off, reached the bottom of the ramp.
The officer driving the cruiser slowed down, but instead of turning toward the Honda he turned left on Dyckman Street in the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan and left the wreckage behind. The driver, Francisco A. Guzman Parra, 31, died from blunt impact injuries to the head and torso and 'thermal injuries,' according to the medical examiner's office.
The video, which the family obtained from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, gave the first visual account of a crash that is now being investigated by the Manhattan district attorney's office and led to the suspension of the two officers in the cruiser. Mr. Guzman Parra's family said the video confirmed what they had feared for months: that the police left him to die.
'They could have helped get him out,' said Carmen Colon, his stepmother, who, along with Mr. Guzman Parra's sisters, spoke with reporters after watching the video at their lawyer's office in Lower Manhattan.
'I think that when we see that video we're seeing a crime being committed,' she said.
About 16 minutes after the crash, firefighters and officers from the 34th Precinct, which covers Inwood, received a 9-1-1 call about a car on fire. When they arrived, they found the Honda fully engulfed in flames.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
36 minutes ago
- Washington Post
What happened in Sean ‘Diddy' Combs's trial: $100K payment, freak-offs and more this week
Drug-fueled freak-offs described in graphic detail, testimony of a $100,000 bribe and the judge's threat to kick Sean 'Diddy' Combs out of the proceedings are among the most prominent moments captured in the sex-trafficking trial of the hip-hop impresario this week. Since May 12, prosecutors have been building their case that Combs allegedly wielded his enormous power in the entertainment industry to coerce women into sex trafficking and used manipulation and bribery to coax his employees and other witnesses into helping him get away with crimes including physical assault and prostitution. In previous weeks, witnesses have included singer Cassie Ventura, rapper Kid Cudi and former Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard. In a case this sprawling and this high profile, it can be tough to keep up — or weed out misinformation. Here's what you need to know.
CBS News
37 minutes ago
- CBS News
What we know about Krystal Rivera, Chicago police officer killed in Chatham
Krystal Rivera, the Chicago police officer killed in a shooting in Chatham Thursday night, was a fierce and loving mother, friend and police officer who was dedicated to her job protecting the community, those who knew her said Friday. CPD Supt. Larry Snelling said Rivera was a mother and a four-year veteran of the police force. She leaves behind a young daughter along with the rest of her family and friends. Snelling described her as vibrant and fearless. "For a mother to lose her daughter like that, knowing that she was trying to do the right thing every single she was protecting lives. That she was a hero. And she lost her life tragically doing that job that she loved," Snelling said during a media conference overnight. Snelling said Rivera was hardworking, bold and dedicated to protecting others, showing up every day committed to her duty to the community. Video from October of 2021 shows Rivera being sworn into the force. Her name was read aloud as she walked across the stage. Rivera was also a member of the congregation of FaithWorld Church in the city's Belmont Craigin neighborhood. Pastors Jennifer and Daniel Cruz knew her well. "Krystal Rivera attended our church for about 15 years, so we've literally seen her just really grow up," said Jennifer Cruz. "If you knew her, you knew that she was very determined, but she had such a sweet spirit and a gentle heart," Daniel Cruz added. Along with her own pastors, Ofc. Rivera also made an impression on Father Michael Pfleger, who said she was "a really sweet person." He stopped by the 6th District to meet with her colleagues in the wake of her death. "They are some of the best community police officers I've seen in the city," Pfleger said. Those who knew her said she leaves behind a legacy of service from before and after she wore the badge. "It just really reflected her heart to want to contribute to our city and make it a better place, make it a safer place, and she really believed that she could make a difference," Daniel Cruz said.
New York Times
37 minutes ago
- New York Times
A Tennessee County Is ‘Fascinated' as an Escaped Zebra Runs Wild
An interstate has been closed. A drone has been deployed. Professional tracking groups and trained dogs have been dispatched. They're all on the case of a missing zebra that has been running wild for nearly a week in Rutherford County, Tenn., eluding efforts to recapture it. The latest sighting was on Friday, when sheriff's deputies tracking the startled zebra with a drone spotted it trotting through a field near Christiana, a community about 40 miles south of Nashville, prompting them to urge people to avoid the area. 'We don't want to scare the zebra,' Cpl. Sean White of the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. 'We need time to get him to calm down.' Whoever owns the zebra — the person's name has not been released — only had the animal for less than a day, having 'obtained' it on the night of May 30 before it escaped the next morning, the sheriff's office said. Lisa Marchesoni, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office, said it was not clear how the zebra got loose or why the man owned it, but dispatchers received a call on the morning of May 31 that the zebra was running though traffic on Interstate 24. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
