BUSHWICK, Brooklyn (PIX11) – The NYPD is searching for a driver accused of killing a 71-year-old woman and injuring another in a Brooklyn hit-and-run on Thursday.
The crash happened around 5 p.m. at the corner of Knickerbocker Avenue and Eldert Street in Bushwick. The driver, described as a man with a ponytail by police, then ditched the blue Mazda SUV with Massachusetts plates, according to authorities.
The 71-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the hospital. The other woman, aged 44, was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, police said.
A neighbor told PIX11 News that the SUV accused of hitting the women also struck his white van parked nearby.
"I heard a crash, a really loud smash, and then right away I heard the sirens and so I came out," he said.
The SUV was driving at a high rate of speed, according to authorities.
Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.