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Witnesses Say Park Slope Drag Race Ended In Multi-Car Crash That Injured Five
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Feb 21, 2020
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(SShooter34/Citizen)
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Feb 21, 2020
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Five people were hospitalized following a multi-car pile-up in Park Slope on Thursday night.
The crash, which occurred at Fifth Avenue and Fifth Street just before midnight, was initially reported by witnesses as illegal drag racing.
“They were definitely racing,” one nearby resident told the Brooklyn Paper. “I just heard a bunch of cars speeding, and then a series of loud bangs.”
A video shared on the Citizen app shows the aftermath of the crash:
Multiple-Vehicle Collision @CitizenApp
5th Ave & 5th St Yesterday 11:46:39 PM EST
But a spokesperson for the NYPD disputes this, claiming it was a "regular" collision — in which an unexpected left turn set off a chain-reaction crash.
"It wasn't like the YouTube guys going down the road or a girl with the bandanna or what have you," clarified the police spokesperson.
According to a preliminary investigation, an Uber SUV driver was traveling south on Fifth Avenue when he was overtaken by a Ford Mustang, driven by a 30-year-old woman, and an Infinity G35 Sedan, driven by a 26-year-old man.
As the Uber driver made a left turn near Fifth Street, he was struck by the driver of the Mustang, which then careened into an unoccupied parked vehicle. In an attempt to avoid that crash, the Infinity driver swerved, striking another unoccupied vehicle.
A total of five people were taken to Methodist Hospital with minor injuries, police said.
There were no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing.
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crash
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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