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Driver charged with crashing into Midtown pedestrians had mental health condition, family says
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Aug 22, 2023
Modified Aug 23, 2023
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Brittany Kriegstein/Gothamist
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Aug 22, 2023
Modified Aug 23, 2023
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The driver who allegedly crashed into seven pedestrians in a Midtown crosswalk Sunday night — and then got into a second collision in Queens — may have been suffering from a mental health episode, according to family members.
Police said Imani Lucas, 29, was behind the wheel of the Honda Accord that ran a red light and plowed into six men and one woman at the intersection of West 36th Street and 6th Avenue around 11:53 p.m. Sunday. Police said she then continued through the Midtown tunnel, crashing into two other vehicles near Fresh Meadows on the Long Island Expressway before coming to a stop when her car became disabled.
“Imani would never do anything intentionally to hurt anybody or anything,” her mother, Melissa Lucas, told Gothamist by phone. “Nothing like this has happened before.”
Imani Lucas was arrested and charged Monday night with a slew of offenses, including attempted murder and assault.
Melissa Lucas said she was out of state on vacation with her husband when she got a call from her daughter late Sunday night.
“I asked her, I said, ‘Imani, where are you?’ She didn't know where she was. She didn't know where she was going. She said, ‘I'm just driving. I'm just driving,’” Melissa Lucas recalled. “And I said, 'Where are you?’ ‘I don't know. I don't know.’ And then that's when I think I heard a police officer coming up to her talking, and then I heard something like Bayside, Queens.”
Melissa Lucas thinks her daughter, who suffers from bipolar disorder, may have had a manic episode.
“She said she was hearing voices,” she recalled.
Lucas was living with her parents in the Princeton area of New Jersey, but often worked in the city, her mom said, adding her daughter was eager to become independent and get a place of her own in New York. She had recently started a new job, though her mother did not want to disclose the name of the company.
“To a great extent, Imani has made really big strides and everything in her independence, and we were very proud of her,” Melissa Lucas said.
Before her parents left on vacation, she said there were no major signs that things were amiss.
“She is on medication and she, as far as we knew, said she was taking her medication,” Melissa Lucas said. “This episode coming on all of a sudden, I don't know what to think or what all precipitated it.”
The family was “devastated” to hear about the incident, Melissa Lucas said.
Bystander video viewed by Gothamist shows several of the bloodied victims fallen among bags of trash on the sidewalk near the intersection. First responders and good Samaritans can be seen rushing to tend to them as blood pools from their limbs and faces.
Six of the pedestrians were taken to hospitals in stable condition, according to the NYPD. The seventh refused medical attention. Police said there were six men and one woman, ranging in age from 24 to 61 years old.
Two of the victims were identified in La Voce di New York as a couple from Piacenza, Italy who were on the final leg of a trip around the U.S. Matteo Maj, 51, a graphic designer, and Giulia Gardani, a 34-year-old tennis instructor, were among those struck in the intersection, according to the Italian English online publication.
Maj and Gardani had traveled through Chicago and Boston before stopping in New York, and were slated to head home Monday, according to La Voce di New York. Instead, Maj underwent a surgery for injuries to his face, and was also scheduled for a fibula and tibia operation, the publication reported. Gardani underwent a five-hour surgery for a cervical spine injury.
No injuries were reported as a result of the crash on the Long Island Expressway.
Police said they took Lucas to a hospital for evaluation.
“It's really, really hard once your child that has mental health issues becomes an adult,” Melissa Lucas said. “It's very difficult because they want to be independent, they want to try to develop those life skills and to manage their medication on their own and try to build a life for themselves.”
Lucas was charged with seven counts each of attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of an accident causing serious injury and reckless driving. Police said she did not appear to be intoxicated.
Lucas was arraigned Tuesday and remanded into custody. She pleaded not guilty to the charges.
This story has been updated with a new headline and information about Lucas' arraignment.
Tagged
public safety
manhattan
mental health crisis
queens
transportation
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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