Two Injured - One Critically After Speeding Van Crashes Into Queens Park

The 53-year-old driver of the van in an ambulance at the scene shortly after striking five people including two in Brookville Park.  (Myles Miller/PIX11 News)

  

Queens

At least 5 people were injured, including one critically when a van slammed into two pedestrians and then crashed into a nearby pond in a Queens park Saturday evening.

Police say a white van driven by a 53-year-old pastor was traveling at a high rate of speed when it struck and rear ended a Hyundai Sonata after running a red light, according to the NYPD.

The van then continued and entered Brookville Park where it hit two additional people including a 19-year-old woman and 18-year-old man before crashing into Conselyea’s Pond. 

The 19-year-old suffered a head injury and is listed in critical condition at Jamaica Hospital. The man has a leg injury.

Five people in total were injured, including a 7-year old girl, a man 44, and a female 40 when they were struck in the street and sidewalk. 

Video taken on the scene shows the pastor wearing a white rope with his hands up as he exits the van as FDNY and police wade into the water.

A witness said the man kept saying, ‘praise Jesus’ with his hands up and his big long robe — ‘Hallelujah, praise Jesus, Hallelujah, praise Jesus!'”

 Several verses from the bible can be seen on the rear window of the van.

The driver is in police custody at Jamaica Hospital.

The terrifying incident occurred around 7:30 p.m. at South Conduit Avenue and Brookville Boulevard in Rosedale Queens.   

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Van slams into pedestrians at Queens park, drives into pond; 6 injured
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Parks Department Seeking Volunteers To Help Clean Up After Hurricane Sandy

Prospect Park - one of the 11 parks and playgrounds the Parks Department is seeking assistance from the public in helping to clean up after the devastating hurricane. (Photo: Rob Jett)

City-Wide

By Geoffrey Croft

As recovery efforts are under way the city and other park groups are seeking the public's help. 

The city lost tens of thousands of trees throughout the five boroughs, and the parks remain closed.

The Parks Department is seeking assistance to help clean up 11 parks and playgrounds after the devastating hurricane. The sites - listed below - include locations in four boroughs.  More are expected to be announced including locations in Staten Island according the Parks Department.

A park site in Brooklyn is collecting aid for Far Rockaways and Sunset Park communities.

Today from 1 to 3pm, donations of food, baby supplies, flashlights, cleaning supplies, etc., will be accepted at the corner of Fort Greene Park at Dekalb and Washington Park. Donations will go to those in need in the Far Rockaways and Sunset Park. Volunteers are also needed for this afternoon. If you have any questions or want to help, contact Ruth Ballenzweig at ruth.ballenzweig@gmail.com.

Solar One and Stuyvesant Cove Park located on the East River near near Stuy Town sent out a request for help.

According to the group the park sustained major damage during the storm along the East River.  There was extensive damage to the Solar One building and park.  Dozens of trees are down and the gardens and topsoil have been washed away.  The storage facility at Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village is flooded and under water.  

They are looking for volunteers to help in the park this week to aid with all clean-up efforts. Our urgent need for volunteer help is for this Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 3 from 10am-4pm. Please RSVP to dina@solar1.org so we'll know you're coming! ​

Hudson River Park Trust is seeking volunteers this Friday, November 2nd and Saturday, November 10th.

The entire park remains closed while they document conditions and ensure park users' safety. Some pier finishes and decks - such as Pier 25, the Pier 40 fields, and Piers 46, 54 and 84 - experienced extensive damage. Trees stood their ground, but plant beds lost almost all of their mulch and much of their top soil.

Dry Ice

Free dry ice is being distributed at the entraces of two parks - Union Square -14th Street and Union Sq. West, and Fresh Kill Park on Buffalo Street in Staten Island.

Parks Remain Closed

According to the latest from the Parks Department, crews are out assessing every park and playground and will open them as soon as inspections confirm they are safe.  The agency should begin to have stats by end of day.  

Here is the latest from this morning regarding trees:

Forestry:

As of 9am:

•     Forestry crews are focused on addressing blocked streets and other trees down.  The latest report shows 12,663 service requests citywide, with the most in Queens at over 6,500.

REQUEST SUMMARY REPORT

Borough     Total

Bronx       984  

Brooklyn    3216 

Manhattan   397  

Queens      6571 

Staten Is   1495 

Citywide    12663

As of 10am:

The total for storm-related service requests is 12,778; of these requests, 8,217 are for Trees Down.

Randall's Island - artifcial turf soccer field. (Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates)

Volunteer Opportunities

Many of New York City’s parks and playgrounds were impacted by Hurricane Sandy. If you would like to volunteer with NYC Parks to aid in clean up and recovery, please review the list of parks and playgrounds below that are in need of assistance this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Click the links below to sign up in your borough and be sure to check back for updates on other parks in need of volunteers! 

Bronx

Van Cortlandt Park

Orchard Beach            

Click here to volunteer in the Bronx 

Brooklyn

Prospect Park

McCarren Park

Click here to volunteer in Brooklyn

Manhattan

Happy Warrior Playground 

Annunciation Park

Carl Schurz Park

Anne Loftus Playground (at Fort Tryon Park)

Randall’s Island (Friday and Saturday only)

Click here to volunteer in Manhattan

Queens (Friday and Saturday only)

Brookville Park

Baisley Pond Park

Click here to volunteer in Queens

Read More:

City Loses Tens Of Thousands Of Trees - Hundreds In Central Park

A Walk In The Park - October 31, 2012 

Multiple Tree Deaths As Huricane Sandy's Toll Rises

A Walk In The Park - October 31, 2012 

Woman Struck By Fallen Tree Limb In Prospect Park Perimeter

A Walk In The Park - October 29, 2012 

One Death - Numerous Injured By Fallen Trees As Hurricane Sandy Hits The City

A Walk In The Park - October 29, 2012 

Hurricane Sandy - All Parks, Playgrounds & Beaches Close Today At 5 p.m.
A Walk In The Park - October 28, 2012 

Randall's Island - One of the 11 parks the city is seeking assistance from in helping to clean up.

Park Activist Says No To Brookville Park Party

Last year the Parks Department spent hours cleaning up the mess left behind after a family day picnic in Brookville Park. Fred Kress, president of the Queens Coalition for Parks, sent a letter to the Parks Department asking it not to allow the annual family day party at the park this Saturday. Last year’s event, which was co-hosted by state Assemblywoman Michelle Titus (D-Far Rockaway) and Jacques Leandre, who was running for City Council last year, left the park in a state of disarray with crews picking up trash for hours the day afterward.

Queens

Last year a family day at Brookville Park turned into an out-of-control bash where liquor was sold and liter was spread all over the southeast Queens greenspace,  according to YourNabe.com.

An advocate for the park is calling on the city to not let that happen again this year.

Fred Kress, president of the Queens Coalition for Parks, sent a letter to the city Parks Department asking it not to allow party promoter June Balloon to hold his fourth-annual family day at the park this Saturday. Last year’s celebration, which was co-hosted by state Assemblywoman Michelle Titus (D-Far Rockaway) and Jacques Leandre, who was running for City Council last year, left the park in a state of disarray with crews picking up trash for hours the day afterward.

“I expect Parks to protect our parks from animals — both two- and four-legged,” Kress wrote in his letter.

This year’s celebration, which is not sponsored by Titus and Leandre, was advertised on the social networking website Facebook and had dozens of people invited. The flier included on the Facebook page said there would be musical performances, food, games and face painting for children.

This was not the fun that took place during last year’s picnic Aug. 22.

Someone set up a table that advertised “open bar, ladies only” and sold alcohol to parkgoers. The party went on long after its 7 p.m. closing time, and when the parks manager went to the greenspace the next morning, it was filled with empty bottles, discarded food and sexually explicit pamphlets.

Kress and other advocates arrived at the park to see the damage firsthand and saw Balloon and Titus’ husband, Eric DeBerry, arguing with the parks manager, saying they did nothing wrong.

Read More:

Park activist says no to Brookville party

YourNabe.com - August 19, 2010 - By Ivan Pereira 

Brookville Park Robbery

Queens

A boy was robbed while sitting on a bench near Conselyeas Pond inside Brookville Park, in Rosedale Queens on August 4 about 1:45 p.m.

 

The victim was sitting on a bench when Romae Moody, 16, Kenroy Martin, 17 and a juvenile walked up to him and surrounded the bench. Moody ordered the victim to turn out his pockets and the victim handed Moody his I-Pod and Moody told the victim to walk away in the opposite direction of their escape. All three were arrested and charged with robbery.  - Geoffrey Croft

 

Read More:

NYPD Daily Blotter 

New York Post - August 13, 2010 - By Kirsten Fleming, Jamie Schram, Lorena Mongelli, John Doyle, and James Calahan