A family was left grieving the death of their mother after she was killed by a hit-and-run driver in South Jamaica. That woman was walking to the grocery store Christmas night when a driver ran her over at the corner of 111th Avenue and 158th Street, and never stopped. NBC New York’s Jessica Cunnington reports.
The NYPD is looking for the driver who struck a woman with their car in Queens before leaving the scene on Christmas, police said.
The 47-year-old female victim was first hit around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday by an unknown vehicle heading west on 111th Avenue, but before emergency responders arrived, she was run over again by a Ford Expedition, according to police.
The victim, identified by police as Antonina Freycinet, was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, but did not survive, the NYPD said.
The incident happened at the intersection of 158th Street and 111th Ave in South Jamaica.
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The original vehicle involved did not stop, police said.
The second vehicle, driven by a 64-year-old man, also did not stop but police said they were able to track him down. When officers spoke to the man, he said he was not aware he had hit someone. No charges were filed against him.
Freycinet's 20-year-old son said she lived steps away from were she hit. She was headed to the grocery store to get something to drink while the rest of the family was inside celebrating Christmas when she was hit just a short distance from her home.
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The son said he raced outside after hearing a bang outside, and realized it was his mother on the ground.
"I was making sure she didn’t move too much. She was breathing and everything, I thought she was gonna be OK," said her son, Andrew Dasrath.
The investigation to find the driver and vehicle is ongoing. Detectives were searching for video on 111th Avenue to hopefully get a look at the first vehicle that hit her. There was also a newly installed speed camera on the block.
