UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) — Two men were killed and three were seriously injured after being struck by an out-of-control driver on Manhattan’s Upper West Side on Friday.
It happened at 996 Amsterdam Ave. between West 109th Street and Cathedral Avenue around 6 p.m.
Police say a vehicle traveling northbound on Amsterdam struck some parked cars, including a gray Volkswagen and brown minivan and hopped the curb before striking five men.
The 61-year-old driver of the Mercedes that lost control was taken into custody, police said. Sources say he appeared to be intoxicated.
Two men, ages 35 and 46, were pronounced dead. The other three men are in critical condition.
“I went over and I saw one person on the ground who I could tell immediately that he was struggling for life if he had any left,” one witness said.
Cellphone video shows strangers struggling to lift the vehicle off a man who was pinned underneath.
“It’s horrifying. This block is a small block. Everyone knows each other, and if I don’t know them personally I know someone who did and in this case I know a lot of people who did, so you’re losing a family,” the witness said.
Neighbors say most of the men who were struck were standing and sitting outside a barbershop.
Everyone, including the driver, was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital.
Individuals inside the parked minivan, possibly two men, refused medical attention.
The investigation is ongoing.
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