According to prosecutors, a 17-year-old driver was apprehended after he fled to the Canadian border while wearing the same bloodstained clothing he wore as he walked away from the wreckage of a fiery, wrong-way crash in Manhattan that killed a groom-to-be and his cousin.
Prosecutors stated that the day following the collision on the Henry Hudson Parkway on August 24, Jimmy Connors failed to carry identification when he arrived at the border.
Connors was described as “had cuts and bruises on his face, a large bruise on the left side of his stomach, blood on his shirt and he was walking with a limp,” in a criminal complaint that was filed in Manhattan Criminal Court.
Detained at the border by federal agents was Connors.
On Friday, he was handed over to the New York Police Department in connection with charges of vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent murder, and fleeing the scene of a fatal accident.
At approximately 2:20 p.m., Connors was driving a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with Canadian plates when he sideswiped the vehicle of an off-duty New York Police Department officer in Washington Heights. The collision occurred near Dyckman St. in the parkway.
After Connors sped off, the transit cop chased after him and dialed 911.
Prosecutors stated that the pickup truck was in the process of descending an exit ramp when it abruptly reversed course and continued southbound in the northbound lanes.
The pickup then collided with a Dodge Challenger on W. 154th St., which was carrying 38-year-old bride-to-be Kirk Walker Jr. and 40-year-old Robert McLaurin.
Read More: California Sheriffs Decry Open Borders and Sanctuary Policies, Cite Increased Crime
Before coming to a halt, the vehicle also collided with an Audi S3, which was carrying a driver and a passenger aged 27 and 28, respectively.
Connors, the truck driver, was recorded on camera stumbling out of the wreckage and running away on foot. He was wearing a white, short-sleeved polo shirt. The vehicle caught fire.
“[He] fled the scene of this collision by jumping over the center median, and crossing the southbound lanes of the parkway,” prosecutors alleged in the complaint, describing his escape from the crime scene.
The complaint stated that Connors vanished into the woods after jumping over a wall on the western shoulder of the roadway.
According to the police, his 21-year-old companion stayed at the site and was not placed under arrest.
On the Henry Hudson Parkway, police reported seeing a Toyota Rav4 and a Chevy driving against the flow of traffic. The off-duty officer’s identity as the driver of the Toyota remained a mystery.
Even after being transported to nearby hospitals, Walker Jr. and McLaurin were pronounced dead. On the parkway, a number of wedding guests were following Walker Jr. at the time of the terrible accident.
After searching the pickup’s Canadian license plate in the NYPD’s reader system, police discovered that the vehicle had been spotted departing Midtown’s W. 41st St. around thirty minutes prior to the collision.
Also Read: 21-Year-Old Milton Man Charged in Fatal Alpharetta Shooting from Motorcycle: Georgia Authorities
According to the authorities, Connor’s description, including the clothing he was wearing, was aided by surveillance photographs that were collected from the area.
The judge in Connors’ brief arraignment on Friday in Manhattan Criminal Court decided he should not be released on bond.
According to the teen’s defense attorney, Connors “denies any involvement” and has autism and epilepsy.
“The evidence the DA has is quite weak and circumstantial,” attorney Jonathan Perez said. “It’s my understanding that the NYPD overstepped in their interviews and he will be exonerated.”
The attorney argued that Connors could not have been the truck’s driver because there is no proof of such.
“This is not an individual who has ever been arrested before,” he said. “He’s extremely sad for everyone involved — but there is nothing right now that shows this case should be prosecuted.”
After Connors was indicted, Walker’s future wife expressed her hope that her fiancé and his cousin would finally face justice on Friday.
“As a family, we are relieved to be at the first step in getting justice for Kirk and Robert,” Shauntea Weaver said. “We will not let Kirk and Robert’s lives be taken in vain, and will continue to push so that things like this do not continue to happen.”
Source: Daily News on Yahoo! News
