Two men were killed when a suspected drunk driver slammed into parked cars and hopped a curb on Friday evening in New York City.
The incident happened around 6:00 p.m. as the driver was headed northbound near Amsterdam Avenue and West 109th Street in Morningside Heights, the New York Post reported.
The 61-year-old driver reportedly lost control of a black Mercedes-Benz when the crash occurred, officials with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) told the outlet.
Video footage showed the aftermath with neighbors helping those who had been injured. Someone was heard crying out in pain as the crowd gathered around trying to assist the person, according to ABC 7.
“I went over. I saw one person on the ground who I could tell immediately was struggling for life if he had any left,” one witness told the outlet. The video also showed locals trying to move a car off a man the outlet said was pinned underneath it:
“It’s horrifying. This block is a small block. Everyone knows each other. If I didn’t know them personally, I know somebody who did and in this case I know a lot of people who did. So, you’re losing a family,” the witness added.
The ABC 7 report said several of the men had been outside a barber shop when the incident happened, and the Post noted one of the men who died was a father of triplets.
Police said the car was traveling 108 miles per hour when it hit another vehicle and went another block before hopping the curb and slamming into the victims, according to PIX 11.
Freedom News TV footage showed the scene and one person told the outlet, “I just ran with everybody to try and aid my friends… we just tried to help.”
When asked what he felt in the moment, the man said he knew he had to “stay calm, stay collected, and just try to help”:
The three injured people were transported to a hospital in critical condition, NBC New York reported.
“Those who live nearby said the area in front of the barbershop is a popular hangout spot for many in the close-knit community. Law enforcement sources said the driver was intoxicated at the time of the crash and was taken into custody, with charges still pending,” the outlet stated.
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