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New York Halloween Crash Kills Three People While Trick-Or-Treating

By Lindsay McCane
Published on: 08:21 PST, Nov 1, 2015

A New York Halloween crash killed three people while they were out trick-or-treating.

According to Fox News, the accident occurred at approximately 5:00 p.m. Saturday night as the streets were filled with trick-or-treaters in the Morris Park section of the Bronx. The 52-year-old driver, behind the wheel of a black Dodge Charger, apparently jumped the curb, plowing into the group of parents and children before smashing into a fence in front of a home. The car was left teetering on a brick wall as a child’s shoe and stroller lay on the sidewalk.

Witnesses of the Halloween crash reported hearing a loud boom before seeing mangled bodies in costumes lying on the ground.

“I saw a torso on the sidewalk. I didn’t know if it was a Halloween dummy or a real person,” Fabio Cotza recalled. “I just grabbed a whole bunch of towels and ran outside.”

“There was a family of kids trick-or-treating, walking behind me,” Kristina DeJesus said. “All of a sudden… I heard the boom, and the car like literally jumped over a parked car and flew into the gate, hitting a bunch of people.”

The accident killed three people, including a 10-year-old little girl. Three other individuals were injured. CBS New York identified those who were killed as Louis Perez, 65, and his granddaughter, Nyanna Aquil, 10. 24-year-old Kristina Leka was also killed.

“All I can think of is, I hope he makes it, I hope he makes it,” said Cotza. “You wish you could have done more.”

Nyanna’s mother, Natalia Perez, said her father wanted to take her daughters out for some extra Halloween fun. She said she had already taken them earlier, but he insisted on them going again.

“It was all because my dad wanted to take my girls for a second round of trick-or-treating,” she said. “Isn’t that crazy? I had already taken the girls earlier.”

According to the news site, Louis and Nyanna were taken to the hospital, where they later succumbed to their injuries. Louis’ other 3-year-old granddaughter was also rushed to the hospital, and is now listed as being in stable condition. A 21-year-old woman, a 9-year-old girl, and the driver of the vehicle were also taken to the hospital with injuries that are said to be non life-threatening.

“You can’t imagine that something like that is real,” Cotza said. “It looked like something from a war movie.”

A statement regarding the crash was released by Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday afternoon.

“Last night’s crash tore apart two families. These three innocent people were lost on a day normally filled with childhood laughter and joy. Our prayers are with them, their families, and those pedestrians still struggling with their injuries. The NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad will leave no stone unturned in its investigation.”

As of Sunday afternoon, no charges have been filed against the driver, and the police are currently investigating what caused the crash. They are speculating that a medical emergency could have contributed, such as a seizure.

Several hours after the crash, neighbors gathered for a small candle light vigil to remember the victims.

In a related report by the Inquisitr, a teenage girl in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, discovered a razor blade in a bite-sized Snickers bar that she received while trick-or-treating.

[Photo via Shutterstock]

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