A 3-year-old boy named Quintas Chen became the fifth child to be killed by a vehicle this year in New York City.
The hit-and-run occurred on Wednesday night at College Point Boulevard near 41st Avenue in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, reported The New York Times.
According to police reports, Quintas was walking down the street with his father after a doctor's appointment when a white sedan, identified as a 2014 Infiniti Q50, struck him with the driver's side tire. The driver, in a shocking act, continued south on College Point Boulevard without stopping to render aid or report the incident.
Following this, he was rushed to New York-Presbyterian Queens, where he was pronounced dead.
Late Thursday afternoon, the police arrested Kevin Gomez, a 20-year-old resident of Queens, in connection with the hit-and-run. Gomez faced charges of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and unlicensed operation.
Assemblyman Ron Kim, representing the neighborhood where the tragedy unfolded, revealed that Quintas had crossed in front of the sedan as it pulled away from an illegally parked spot. Despite the father's attempts to signal and scream at the driver, the devastating incident unfolded.
The sedan was later located, parked a few blocks away, and seized by authorities. This marks the second incident in recent weeks involving a child's death, following a 7-year-old boy killed by a city tow truck in Brooklyn.
Hours before this tragic incident, Mayor Eric Adams unveiled an initiative aimed at enhancing pedestrian safety in the city. The proposal includes the removal of parking spots near intersections and the installation of speed-limiting devices on city vehicles, including school buses.
