A 12-year old girl was killed on Delancey Street this afternoon, after being struck by a Toyota Sienna minivan. It happened around 3:30 p.m. as the Castle Middle School student was heading north on Clinton Street with a group of friends. According to Gothamist, she was rushed to Downtown Hospital, but there was nothing doctors could do. More from Gothamist:
One witness, a friend of the victim, says, “We were crossing the street and the light changed real quick. She started going, and then she stopped, but she tripped. The van hit her twice. The first time it hit her, then when it stopped and realized that it hit her, it hit her again.” Another student, who said she was the girl’s best friend, says, “The crossing guard didn’t even do anything they kept on waving cars through, telling them to go. You see the blood on the ground? That’s where it hit her.” The girl’s friend was extremely distraught and crying, but fortunately her mother soon arrived. The driver, who spoke through a Chinese reporter acting as an interpreter, seemed angry. “There were five kids in the road,” he told us through the interpreter. “Three guys in the front, two girls in the back. They ran the red light and…” He made smacking motions with his hand/fist to communicate what happened. The driver was taken away by NYPD, but the NYPD press office does not have any information about any charges.
DNA Info reported “no criminality” is suspected, which is “NYPD speak,” meaning no charges will be filed.
