Caught on tape,Body dragged 17 miles through New York City
News Story/Surveillance video:BROOKLYN, N.Y. It's being called a horrific tragedy that leaves New Yorkers questioning just how something like this could happen. According to the New York Police Department, a pedestrian crossing a street in Corona, Queens early Wednesday instead wound up being struck by two vehicles and his body being dragged an astounding 17 miles to Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.
More..At approximately 6 a.m., the man, who has not yet been identified, was struck by an SUV near Shea Stadium when attempting to cross 108th Street. Just seconds later, a dark colored van drove over the man, his body getting lodged in the vehicle's undercarriage. According to investigators, the driver of the second vehicle was apparently oblivious to what he struck and carried on driving for 17 miles to Brooklyn until a passerby was finally able to call his attention to the man's body.
In surveillance video obtained exclusively by PIX News, a man is seen exiting a vehicle that dropped him off on 108th Street, just before 6:09 a.m. The man is seen properly observing pedestrian safety rules as he crosses 50th Avenue. Soon after, a second man appears in the video and he is struck by the SUV. The first pedestrian, a witness to the accident, can be seen grabbing his head with his hands in disbelief. Police were called immediately afterwards.
When authorities arrived at the scene in Corona, no evidence of a pedestrian hit was found. Nearly an hour later, in Brighton Beach, a passerby saw the body of a man trapped underneath a 1998 Chevy mini-van at the intersection of Neptune Avenue and Brighton 10th Terrace. The pedestrian flagged down the driver and immediately called police.
Reports identify the driver of the mini-van as 52-year-old Manuel Gaspar Lituma Sanchez. Police say it appears Sanchez did not realize he had struck the man and dragged him for nearly 20 miles. Investigators believe a suspension bar underneath the van caught on to the victim's rib cage, dragging him for miles. The driver reportedly smelled something burning and pulled over once along the way, but did not see the body.
New York City Police commissioner Raymond Kelly says authorities are surveying the route, looking for any evidence and body parts that may have detached from the corpse. The body is believed to have been dragged onto the Grand Central Parkway, south onto the Van Wyck Expressway and then west into Brooklyn.
It's unclear whether the victim was dead or alive when initially struck by the first driver. No charges are expected to be filed. Less..
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Added: Feb 12 2009 In: news_politics
Recorded on: Feb 11 2009
By: jdischord 
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